The 2025 formula One Mexican Grand Prix has reignite the debate over what many consider to be the sport’s first lap ‘free for all.’ At the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez several drivers failed to make turn one taking to escape roads and even the grass in what George Russell described as the annual “lawnmower race.”

With the longest run to the first corner on the calendar, the Mexican Grand Prix repeatedly sees this kind of mayhem at the start of the Grand Prix each year but there are those who want to see a clap down on drivers who allegedly are taking ‘liberties’ knowing there will be no consequences.

So let’s look at the apparent crimes committed. Max Verstappen starting in fifth place got a rocket launch and was past the Mercedes of George Russell before the cars were even half way to turn one and up to fourth. With the two Ferrari’s duelling with each other he was forced to the left and then again as Hamilton found space between his team mate and Lando Norrios who held the inside line.

 

 

 

Verstappen gained no advantage

With nowhere else to go the world champion was four abreast on the outside of the McLaren and the two Ferrari’s as they approached the braking zone and he attempted a move he’d pulled off on Hamilton in yesteryear – to drove around the outside of the battling pack. The problem was his car bottomed out forcing him to take to the grass.

“It was very hectic, the beginning of the race for me. We had a very good start. It is such a long run to turn one and we were on the outside. It was three or four wide, so I had to be on that kerb. I kept bottoming out all the way and almost crashed over the grass. Even after that, there was a lot going on,” said the world champion on his own website. 

Verstappen emerged third though he gave back the place to Lewis Hamilton, who had suffered from his team mates off track excursion which saw Charles Leclerc retain second place. Often in such circumstances where team mates are involved in a lap one incident, the F1 stewards will leave it for therm to sort out if any remedial action is required.

George Russell complained over team radio about his fellow racers antics at turn one, but in reality he was not impacted by the rallying taking place ahead of him. Lewis Hamilton however, was to feel the ire of the stewards, when on lap six he went head to head with Verstappen through the opening corners of the lap. Verstappen went for the late braking manoeuvre and under the F1 drivers’ guidelines issued to the stewards, he was clearly ahead at the apex of the corner.

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Hamilton penalty more than justified

The pair went side by side through the chicane which saw Verstappen run out of road and take to the grass emerging ahead of Hamilton. Yet before the Red Bull driver could consider handing back the place, on the entry of turn four Hamilton locked up a front tyre, took to the grass and emerged several hundred metres down the road ahead of his rival.

Worse was to come for the world champion as Oliver Bearman who saw the battling Red Bull and Ferrari took advantage of the situation, slipping past Verstappen on the exit of the chicane. So Hamilton’s dive bomb had not only gained himself a position and a good portion of the circuit, but also disadvantaged his rival who was now to be stuck behind the Haas for several laps.

Hamilton was duly hit with the standard ten second penalty for gaining an advantage. His reposes over team radio was: “What about all the other cars that have cheated?!” The comment was a coded attack on his team mate Charles Leclerc who had taken liberties at turn one lap one to remain ahead of the second Ferrari.

Ex-F1 driver, Johnny Herbert believes the stewards are being too soft on the F1 drivers and its time for the ‘first lap leeway’ to be scrapped. “The biggest problem for me is that anything that tends to happen on the first corner, the first lap, they tend to turn a blind eye because the tyres are cold and they’re not quite up to speed and if something happens, they won’t apply a penalty,” Herbert tells AdventureGamers.

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Ferrari refuse to address Leclerc’s advantage

“I don’t agree with it. They’re the very best in the world and as we saw in Mexico, did they all then take the mickey with that first lap? Probably yes, because they all could get away with it. When Max tried to go around the outside and was sort of running out of room, he got on the track without losing anything. Then we saw a Charles cut across and he didn’t lose anything, he gained. He was level with Lewis, but he ended up being in front of Max. So he was second and he didn’t get a penalty for it.”

Yet Herbert’s protestation so far only include the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc gaining an advantage over his team mate. Its a Ferrari issue. Turning to Hamilton’s misdemeanour, Herbert argues: “If Lewis had just slowed up and let Max get right off his backside, I don’t think he would have got a penalty. People were saying the 10 second penalty was too harsh. But ten second penalties should be across the board whenever it may be.

“Is that harsh in some circumstances? Yes. Was it harsh on Lewis? Yes. But you can’t say, ‘We’ll just give him a five second.’ No, you can’t do that,” adds Herbert. And given the fact Hamilton had engineered the situation which saw his rival suffer for fifteen laps behind the slower Haas F1 car, the penalty was appropriate given a five second penalty by the time the stewards gave their verdict, would have cost the ex-world champion just one position.

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Current ‘dive bomb’ mentality created by the FIA rules

Herbert’s conclusion is the F1 driver’s are “abusing” the leeway given by the stewards on lap one and the early corners of the race, yet the configuration of the circuit in Mexico City has seen this kind of mayhem regularly in previous years. Yet as TJ13 has repeatedly argued, it is the coding of the FIA’s driving standards which creates the problem.

It actively encourages the dive bomb for the first corner, given the driver ahead at the apex has the right to run wide anyone challenging him on the outside. He doesn’t even need to remain on the circuit as per the 2025 missive from the FIA. The rules are badly written and the F1 drivers’ are complicit in this given they are the ones demanding a more codified set of rules for racing.

Much of the excitement at the Mexican Grand Prix is on the opening laps. Building a wall or putting gravel on the outside of the corner, will merely turn the circuit into another Monaco, where start to finish the procession continues to its inevitable conclusion.

 

 

 

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The background to the claim is based on activity which occurred at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix – F1’s first ever night race – with Renault running Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jnr as their drivers.

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