The Championship Lead Seizes Lando Norris | Defector

"From the very start of the Mexican Grand Prix, the first cars-headed by Norris, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen-got into an impressive muddle that saw Verstappen and Leclerc cutting the opening corners of the track and rejoining with a track placement advantage. Under the current rules, gaining a lasting advantage off-track and not immediately returning the position risks a 10-second time penalty; stewards now leave a potential swap up to the team's discretion, as Verstappen showcased in Barcelona this year."

"Five laps later, Hamilton and Verstappen, who are apparently doomed to encounter each other in a hand-in-unlovable-hand situation each weekend it is remotely possible, wound up in a wheel-to-wheel battle that involved contact and someone going off the track. Verstappen launched from far back into turn 1, and made contact with Hamilton (Hamilton later dismissed the contact, saying it "felt like racing"); when Hamilton tried to overtake Verstappen into turn 4, he locked up and wound up off track, ultimately rejoining in front of Verstappen."

"Hamilton was not advised by his team to give up the place to Verstappen, a possible scenario made more awkward due to the fact that Verstappen had run wide into turn 5 and wound up behind the Haas of Ollie Bearman, meaning that Hamilton would have to allow both Verstappen and Bearman to pass. Hamilton was saddled with a 10-second time penalty that ruined any chances of a podium place in a very optimistic weekend."

At the Mexican Grand Prix, early incidents saw Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc cut opening corners and rejoin with a track placement advantage, invoking rules against gaining lasting off-track advantage. Teams and stewards applied discretion around position swaps, with both drivers ceding places to the immediately following cars and affecting other competitors. Later, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen collided in a wheel-to-wheel battle, with Verstappen launching into turn 1 and Hamilton locking up at turn 4 before rejoining ahead. Hamilton received a 10-second penalty that cost podium chances, while Lando Norris reclaimed the championship lead despite limited involvement.

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