Verstappen avoided penalty after cutting corners at 2025 Mexico GP

Four cars entered Turn 1 side by side at the 2025 Mexico Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Squeezed against the outside kerbs, Verstappen went across the grass and cut Turns 1–3, but was not penalized.

After the race, Verstappen told Viaplay there had been very little room and he had to brake on the kerb. He said he was pushed farther left and his RB21 bottomed out, leaving him unable to brake; as he went through the grass, he feared he would hit the wall.

Verstappen returned the positions relative to the Ferraris and kept no lasting advantage. He finished third behind race winner Norris and Leclerc.

George Russell criticized the lack of penalties for corner-cutting. Speaking to Viaplay, he questioned how three drivers could cut the corner and continue without a sanction, arguing that drivers who stayed on track were the ones penalized.

To Sky Sports F1, Russell called it ‘lawnmower racing’, saying drivers who misjudge their braking from the outside effectively get a free pass to cross the grass. Whether the FIA would make physical changes to Turn 1 in Mexico in response to complaints of this kind remained unclear.