Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton offered slightly different opinions on their perception of the opening lap of the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Starting second and third respectively, the Scuderia were hopeful of potentially taking the fight to Lando Norris, who started on pole.
But alas, they had no answer for the McLaren driver, who coasted to victory, giving him a one-point lead in the championship.
The run down to Turn 1 and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is always a tricky and fraught affair, and on Sunday, it was no different.
Norris got away well, but both Leclerc and Hamilton started cleanly too, with the latter taking to the inside line.
To Leclerc’s left, Max Verstappen came hurtling through on the outside, giving the Monegasque a hairy moment as the quadruple braked into the corner.
Verstappen was forced to take to the grass, with Leclerc cutting the next corner, briefly taking the lead, before ceding it back to Norris, aware he had gained an advantage.
Hamilton was able to hold third, but his race was ruined by his duel with Verstappen, which saw him take to another run-off area, earning a 10-second time penalty.
Ever the racer, Hamilton told F1TV that “it was fun at the start,” adding the race “didn’t end up the way I hoped”.
Leclerc grateful to make it through Turn 1
Leclerc had a quiet race, unable to match Norris’ pace, and eventually looked set to be engaged in a battle with Verstappen, who was bearing down on him with just a few laps to go.
However, a Virtual Safety Car truncated Verstappen’s charge, and Leclerc held on to second place.
Speaking after the race, Leclerc indicated that he felt quite the opposite, finding the close-quarter battle into Turn 1 somewhat unpleasant.
“Yeah. I didn’t enjoy that at all,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
‘I normally quite like fighting, but in this case, being in the middle of Lewis and Max it’s one of those kinds of situations where, as a driver, you cannot do much.
“Just pray that Max and Lewis will give me enough space just to make the corner. And I touched a little bit with Lewis.
“And then there was very poor grip on the outside, so I had to cut the corner. But luckily for the three of us, it had no consequences.”
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