Charles Leclerc terms Max Verstappen's move "stupid" for not lifting during the double-waved yellow flag period in the F1 Mexican GP

Charles Leclerc called rival Max Verstappen's actions "stupid" for not lifting during the double-waved yellow flag period in the final stages of the Mexico City Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz had parked his Williams up in the stadium section of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, causing the marshals to bring out the double-waved yellows in that section of the track.

Verstappen was right on the tail of Charles Leclerc in the final few laps of the Mexican GP on Sunday, with the Dutchman looking to overtake the Ferrari driver for P2 in the race. As he closed to within two seconds of Leclerc, double-waved yellow flags came out in the stadium section, thanks to Carlos Sainz parking his Williams up partially behind the barriers after a crash.

Max Verstappen still gained on Leclerc through this section, leading Leclerc to believe that the 4x world champion did not lift off the throttle. The Monegasque quickly came over the team radio to address the situation, as he said:

"Max, haha, that's stupid. That's a penalty if he overtakes for sure."

A double-waved yellow flag means that drivers must reduce their speed significantly, exercise extreme caution on track and even be ready to stop if needed. From Verstappen's onboards, it can be seen that he reduces his speed after seeing the flags, but only as he approaches the very slow Turn 13 in the stadium section.

Verstappen once again picks up the pace after passing Turn 15, where the track is green again. So, it is unclear to deduce from the onboards if the driver infringed in the moment.

At the time of writing, Verstappen is not under investigation for the incident, and no team has complained about this moment to the FIA.

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Charles Leclerc claims late-race VSC "saved" him during the Mexican GP

Charles Leclerc during the Mexican GP weekend - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc claimed that the late-race Virtual Safety Car at the Mexican GP "saved" him from being overtaken by Max Verstappen. The aforementioned double-waved yellows turned into a VSC on the second-last lap, neutralizing the race.

Speaking in the post-race interview, Leclerc explained that he was delighted to see the VSC come out on lap 70/71 of the race.

"I was quite happy about the (virtual) safety car," Leclerc said, after the race. "My tires were completely gone and could see Max was coming back on the softer tire, so it was tough. But I think the safety car saved in at the end," he added.

Verstappen was within a second of Leclerc on the second-last lap, meaning he was close enough to have a good run on the #16 Ferrari on the main straight for the final lap. The VSC was called just as the two cars came towards Turn 7, ending any hopes of a move.

The VSC eventually ended on the final lap as well, as the two drivers came around Turns 4 and 5, but it was too late by then for Verstappen to make a move.

Edited by Tushhita Barua