Does Mexico have a Turn 1 problem?

One may argue that no form of racing is inherently inferior to others, but George Russell branding his Formula 1 rivals’ driving standards in last week’s Mexico Grand Prix as lawnmower-worthy has raised an interesting point.

He can hardly be blamed. When Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen (from inside to outside) went into Turn 1 four-wide, Verstappen locked up on the dusty outside kerb and cut straight across that section.

Hamilton definitely gave Leclerc enough space to make the corner, but the Monegasque decided to cut Turn 2 as well and emerged in the lead – he let Norris through but still gained a decisive edge on his team-mate.

Four-wide won’t cut it – drivers will

Looking at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, one thing is clear: the track narrows in the Turns 1-2-3 section. Going four-wide into Turn 1 is nothing extraordinary, but there clearly is no space to emerge from it in the same setting.

This does not mean that incidents are unavoidable. Since Mexico returned to F1’s calendar in 2015, there have been several occurrences of very orderly race starts.

Equally, it is clear that drivers cutting the track has happened too often, and has often skewed the pecking order – because whether a driver has been pushed wide or has gained a lasting advantage is not always clear-cut.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid, locks up at the start ahead of Nico Rosberg, Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB12 TAG Heuer, Nico Hulkenberg, Force India VJM09 Mercedes, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB12 TAG Heuer

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Even in 2016, back when F1 cars were smaller, Hamilton locked up and went straight across Turn 2 – not unlike what Verstappen did on Sunday – while Nico Rosberg was pushed wide by Verstappen, also cut the corner and rejoined ahead of the Dutchman.

No action was taken by stewards. Drawing a line can be remarkably difficult; Hamilton was clearly ahead of everyone coming into the Turn 1 braking zone, but does that mean he was entitled to the lead regardless of his lock-up?

Rosberg was not alone in his own instance. Last year, Carlos Sainz also took the outside line, trying to snatch the lead away from Verstappen. The Red Bull was ahead at the apex and therefore entitled not to leave any space on the outside, so what would you do in that case? Slow down and potentially lose some positions, or cut the corner, argue that you were pushed wide, and ‘generously’ return the position to the driver you were trying to overtake?

Interestingly, those three cases – 2016, 2024 and 2025 – are different. All three drivers gained a position when cutting the corner, but only Sainz really returned it. Rosberg didn’t, at a time when there were no driving guidelines, so he had a stronger case for being pushed off. Leclerc also retained his position versus Hamilton, but unlike the former two, he clearly had space to stay on the track.

In the end, it often comes down to how much effort a driver devotes to actually staying on the track.

History shows that in similar cases, drivers have persevered instead of taking the easy way out of a battle. In 2017, Sebastian Vettel pushed Verstappen wide, but the latter hung on and made the most of what became the inside line into Turn 2. The dynamic was exactly the same between Verstappen and Hamilton respectively in 2019. It was hard racing, but fair – and this is exactly what Leclerc should have done on Sunday. He was slightly farther back, so couldn’t have challenged Hamilton in Turn 2, but should have regrouped and fought back later.

Of course, the best way to avoid trouble there is to do exactly what Verstappen achieved in 2021 – come into Turn 1 three-wide with the Mercedes cars, brake much later, sweep around the outside.

That outside line isn’t cursed, nor should it automatically open the door to cutting the corner.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, leads Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B, and the rest of the field at the start

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B, and the rest of the field at the start

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

What can be done?

So, how can this problem be solved? There is no obvious fix.

Grass clearly doesn’t – and can’t – slow cars down enough for the actual track to be faster.

Gravel would actually be a decent solution, but based on the layout of that section, any car going straight would inevitably bring stones back onto the track. Nowadays, that will often mean a virtual safety car – which skews races as well.

What about a wall? Now that would be a strong deterrent – but in a section where cars sometimes reach 370km/h ahead of the braking zone, this likely wouldn’t match the FIA’s safety standards.

All that remains is a layout tweak, but why tweak a section that is actually able to generate entertaining racing – as long as everyone behaves?

On Sunday, Fernando Alonso cunningly pointed out that if stewards had deemed Leclerc and Verstappen (plus others!) deserved no penalty for their lap-one shenanigans, he would follow suit next time.

So we need stewards to make a point. Don’t let anyone unnecessarily cut a corner. Let’s make it binary: either a driver has been unlawfully pushed off – so their rival should get a penalty – or they have unlawfully cut the corner – so they should get a penalty.

This doesn’t have to be rigid; there will obviously be specific cases in which nobody deserves to be sanctioned. But the ‘I can get away with it’ feeling must be eradicated.