F1 Mexico City News and Views: Charles Leclerc Laughs Off Latest Slip of the Lip
Yuki Tsunoda is finally set for a Red Bull test, while Robert Shwartzman gets a strange sanction.
Autoweek rounds up its paddock notebook from the F1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Leclerc’s Slip of the Tongue
Charles Leclerc had a wild moment in the race when he slid wide exiting the final corner and came perilously close to wiping out against the barrier. So when asked for his perspective inside the cockpit Leclerc was unsurprisingly honest about the situation.
“I lost the rear and then you forget about Lando and you just hope that you are going to take it back. I had one oversteer and then when I recovered from that oversteer, I had an oversteer from the other side and then I was like, ‘f***’,” said Leclerc.
The Ferrari driver quickly realized that he had erred in issuing a profanity, in the wake of the FIA’s clampdown on swearing in press conferences, which earned Max Verstappen a community service order in Singapore.
“Oh, sorry! Oh, no, oh no! I don't want to join Max!” Leclerc joked.
Tsunoda Lands Red Bull Test
RB driver Yuki Tsunoda will test for the senior Red Bull Racing team at the postseason gathering in Abu Dhabi.
Tsunoda has been part of Red Bull’s plans for several years, and has raced for its junior outfit since 2021, but unusually has not had a proper test for Red Bull Racing. Tsunoda and long-term backers Honda have been pushing for an opportunity within Red Bull Racing and the Japanese driver will get behind the wheel of the RB20 on Tuesday December 10 in Abu Dhabi.
As per the format of the test, Tsunoda will drive the RB20 allocated for the Pirelli tire test, as he is ineligible for the other cockpit, which must be allocated to a young driver.
“It's something that's been agreed for quite some time and it will again be good to give him a run and get the opportunity to work with Red Bull Racing engineers and see how he performs in a Red Bull Racing car,” Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, said.
Red Bull has Sergio Perez under contract for 2025 but his position remains in jeopardy owing to his recent run of form, with Tsunoda effectively being used as a yardstick to measure the returning Liam Lawson.
Shwartzman Given Irrelevant Grid Penalty
Robert Shwartzman was one of five "young drivers" to take part in first practice session in Mexico City, as half of the teams used the opportunity to fulfil one of its two mandatory rookie sessions for 2024.
Ferrari reserve Shwartzman, whose 2025 plans in another category are expected to be announced soon, had his second outing of the season for Sauber. The Russian-Israeli was deemed to have overtaken under yellow flags shortly after an accident involving Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman, and was investigated by the stewards.
Despite being a non-race driver. Shwartzman was issued a five-place grid penalty, and stewards noted the unusual outcome, but were keen to apply consistency to a transgression irrespective of the culprit.
Shwartzman was joined in FP1 by Bearman (Ferrari), Pato O’Ward (McLaren), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin).
Crashes Putting Mercedes on Back Foot
Mercedes has had a rough time lately since its mid-season win spree amid a lack of performance, headaches over updates, as well as a few costly crashes.
Case in point is that 2025 signing Kimi Antonelli shunted in FP1 in Italy, while George Russell speared into the wall during qualifying in Austin and then threw the car into the barriers during practice in Mexico City. That means Mercedes may have to rein in its production across the last handful of events.
“I love a driver to push, and I’d rather him crash and we know what the car is capable of doing than not,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “In cost cap land, that’s a tricky situation, so these three shunts put us on the back foot. Certainly the one that happened [in Mexico] was massive.
"We had to opt for a completely new chassis. That is a tremendous hit on the cost cap. And we probably have to dial down on what we put on the car. So we will be having two upgrade packages in Brazil, two floors, but that’s basically it. There’s nothing else that’s going to come.
"We have certain limitation on parts where we need to be creative, how we’re managing this, and certainly there is an impact.”