FIA issues statement on controversial end to Mexico GP as Max Verstappen denied

The FIA has explained the reason behind the late Virtual Safety Car period which scuppered Max Verstappen's chances of snatching second place at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Dutchman was closing in in Charles Leclerc in the final stages of the race and was just entering striking distance when the yellow flags came out on the penultimate lap.

The race had been neutralised because Carlos Sainz had come to a stop in the spectacular stadium section of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, having encountered a problem on his Williams car. The Spaniard had tried to park the car where it was not going to be in the way, but race control decided to take action anyway.

It was unfortunate timing for Verstappen and frustrating for fans. Speaking live on commentary for Sky Sports, David Croft complained that fans had been "robbed" of a spectacular finish to what had already been an action-packed race.

But, in a statement, the FIA has explained the safety concerns which prompted race control to get involved at such a crucial part of the race. A spokesperson told Express Sport: "On lap 70, Carlos Sainz spun and stopped in the run-off area on the outside of turn 14. His car came to a halt in an exposed position.

"The car subsequently began smoking and race control received notifications of fire, making it clear that marshal intervention would be required for recovery. As is standard procedure when marshals are deployed to recover a car, the race is neutralized.

"In this case, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was triggered until the car was moved to a safe location behind the barriers. The VSC ended as soon as the car was in a protected position, and the race concluded under green-flag conditions."

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As mentioned in that statement, the VSC period ended before on the final lap of the race which did give Verstappen a chance to catch Leclerc by surprise. But the Ferrari driver held on and Verstappen had to settle for the bottom step of the podium, missing out on three extra points that would have been crucial to his drivers' title bid.

Despite the stakes, though, the Red Bull racer suggested he will not lose too much sleep over missing out on second place. The Dutchman said: "You win some, you lose some. Sometimes the safety car works for you, sometimes it works against you."

On the other hand, Leclerc was understandably delighted to see the yellow flags come out at the perfect time, from his point of view. He said: "I was quite happy about it! My tyres were completely gone and I could see Max was coming back on the softer tyre, so it was tough and I think the safety car saved me at the end."