Charles Leclerc brutally taunted Max Verstappen in Mexican GP radio clip not shown on TV

Charles Leclerc burst out laughing on the radio, taunting Max Verstappen as he knew that the Dutchman would be unable to fight him on the final lap of the Mexican Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver came under attack during the closing laps, but held on for second place.

Leclerc spent the majority of the Mexican GP in no man's land, unable to challenge pole-sitter and eventual race-winner Lando Norris, but able to comfortably keep his distance to Oliver Bearman behind him. However, as Verstappen charged through the field on his final stint, he started to come under pressure.

Verstappen ate into his significant advantage and was tracking to overtake the driver of the No.16 Ferrari machine before the chequered flag. However, his plans were scuppered when Carlos Sainz pulled over to the side of the track with a smoking Williams car, bringing out a virtual safety car.

The VSC ended halfway through the final lap, but with double-waved yellow flags present in the final sector, Verstappen was unable to launch a late attack. Speaking to race engineer Bryan Bozzi on the radio, Leclerc said: "Max... Max..." before bursting out laughing.

The decision to release the VSC was widely criticised as it not only curtailed the battle for second place but also a fierce fight between Bearman and former World Championship leader Oscar Piastri, with the two drivers competing for fourth on the road.

Explaining the decision, an FIA 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.

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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."

Leclerc's second-place finish marked his seventh podium of the season and bumped Ferrari up to second place in the Constructors' Championship standings. Only 10 points separate the Scuderia, Mercedes and Red Bull with four rounds of the 2025 campaign remaining.