After the qualification of the Mexican Grand Prix of Formula 1, five drivers were under the jurisdiction of the stewards. Only one – Logan Sargeant – was actually penalized.
Three of the investigated drivers were involved in the same situation: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – third on the grid – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and George Russell (Mercedes). The trio was called by the stewards for possible unnecessary blocking of other drivers at the end of the pit lane in the final phase of Q1.
Together with their team bosses, the four drivers were able to prove that they drove as they did to comply with the maximum delta time, being forced to be slower in the pit lane, which is not covered by those rules.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was under scrutiny for an alleged violation of the rules of a yellow flag triggered by Fernando Alonso’s spin (Aston Martin) at the end of Q1. However, the investigation concluded that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the experienced British driver.
Logan Sargeant had less luck, as he overtook Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) under the same yellow flag and was penalized ten positions… despite finishing last. The American from Williams justified it by the fact that his rival was very slow and he saw the green flag on the panel, but the stewards emphasized that this is not synonymous with having already left the yellow flag zone and penalized him. Williams was also fined €20,000 for a separate incident, in which they left material in a zone and at a time that they should not have in the pit lane.
