How one late call in Mexico sparked a new FIA controversy

October 31, 2025 Oliver Obel

The race began in chaos. Four cars stormed into Turn 1 almost side by side, leaving Verstappen and Charles Leclerc with nowhere to go but the grass before they rejoined the circuit.

No penalties were issued for either driver, but just one lap later Lewis Hamilton was handed a ten-second penalty for rejoining the track wide at Turn 4 — a contrast that didn’t go unnoticed in the paddock.

George Russell joked that the Turn 1 incident looked like “lawn-mower racing,” while Hamilton called his own penalty “pretty nuts.” The split decisions left teams questioning where the FIA draws the line.

Verstappen, however, refused to get drawn into the debate. Speaking calmly in the media pen, he said it had been a hectic opening lap but that he hadn’t done anything wrong. As he put it simply, “It’s not my problem.”

After a sluggish start, his afternoon turned around once he switched to soft tyres. The car came alive in the second stint, allowing him to climb from fifth to third and put pressure on Leclerc in the closing laps. Verstappen admitted the early phase of the race had looked “terrible,” but said the team’s alternative strategy ultimately brought them back into the fight.

The call that froze the fight

Just as Verstappen was closing in on Leclerc for second place, the Virtual Safety Car boards lit up with two laps remaining. Race control had neutralized the field after reports suggested Carlos Sainz’s Williams, which had spun near the Foro Sol section, might have caught fire.

From the grandstands, though, Sainz’s car appeared safely parked behind barriers, leading many to question whether the caution was necessary. The move froze the running order and killed any hope of a final-lap showdown between Verstappen and Leclerc.

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve was among those who slammed the decision.

“It was activated with two laps to go, when great battles were still unfolding,” Villeneuve said. “Sainz’s car was completely off the circuit, in the slowest section. There was no reason to intervene. Millions are watching — you have to think of that.”

He argued that inconsistent officiating has become one of Formula 1’s biggest frustrations, describing the FIA’s timing as both confusing and heavy-handed.

Frustration grows, focus stays

Across the paddock, the mood was one of disbelief. Engineers, journalists, and fans alike questioned why the race had been neutralized so late when the car appeared secure. “Fans in the grandstands groaned the moment the boards came out,” one team insider said afterward.

Verstappen, though, chose not to dwell on it. His third-place finish kept him within striking distance of Lando Norris, who won the race and now leads the championship standings. Verstappen admitted McLaren had been the stronger package in Mexico, but said Red Bull’s race recovery showed the team still had the pace to fight for wins.

With just a handful of races left and 36 points separating the two, every lap will matter in the run-in. Yet for all the noise around the FIA’s decision-making, Verstappen remains focused on the one thing he can control — the next race.

And as he made clear in Mexico, the rest is someone else’s problem.

Sources: GPblog, RacePictures, Reuters, BBC, AP