IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi recently shared his opinion about the Turn 1 chaos at the 2025 Mexico GP. The incident saw multiple drivers cutting the first sequence of corners, causing frustration among others who adhered to the track limits—including George Russell.
Rossi suggested that Formula 1 could learn from IndyCar’s approach to a similar problem at Portland International Raceway. The IndyCar race at Portland features a long run down the start-finish straight, followed by a tight Turn 1 & 2 chicane. Prior to the 2022 IndyCar season, drivers who outbraked themselves into Turn 1 could cut the corner and gain an advantage, much like what happened at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
To address this, IndyCar introduced a temporary board in the Turn 1 runoff area that connected to the end of the chicane. Drivers who went too deep were required to zig-zag around the board before rejoining the circuit. This solution eliminated any advantage gained by cutting the corner, and in fact, drivers lost time compared to those who took the proper racing line.
On the latest episode of the “Off Track with Hinch and Rossi” podcast, Alexander Rossi elaborated on this solution and its potential application to Formula 1. He said:
> “Where I think IndyCar did a really good job is when you look at the Portland situation… If you cut behind the turn two curb at that sequence in Portland on lap one, it doesn’t matter if you were pushed there. It doesn’t matter if it was an honest mistake that got you there. It does not matter how you ended up there.
>
> If you do not go left-hand down and get through the chicane barricade setup and rejoin the track that way, you’re immediately going to the back. What happened from that point? Everyone played nice through there.”
Rossi added that while such a solution might not be applicable at every track, Formula 1 needs to implement something similar on circuits with large runoff areas, to discourage drivers from abusing track limits.
### IndyCar’s Monza and Montreal Solutions for Mexico City GP Turn 1 Incident
Rossi also discussed how other tracks like Monza and Montreal handle corners that are prone to drivers going deep or cutting. Monza, for example, has a chicane after a long straight and uses Portland-style boards requiring drivers to zig-zag if they go off track. Montreal has a designated rejoining area and specific lines after its final chicane.
Speaking about these examples, Rossi said:
> “I do think because a lot of the way their tracks are set up, there needs to be a more hard and fast rule like they have at Monza, like they have with track limits and qualifying. Montreal, final chicane, they’ve got something like that. Montreal, if you cut a corner, you have to go and pay your penalty.”
At the 2025 Mexico GP, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were among the top five drivers who went wide into the first corner on the opening lap, sparking debate over how to handle such incidents fairly in the future.
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*Edited by Pranay Bhagi.*
https://www.sportskeeda.com/indycar/news-after-mexico-gp-controversy-f1-needs-learn-indycar-s-portland-ruling-says-alexander-rossi