Max Verstappen given serious warning as ‘Red Mist’ overwhelms him in Mexico

During the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, the familiar tensions resurfaced, with the focus once again on the core Max Verstappen is aggressive to ride. Verstappen, three-time world champion, received the wrong attention after an incident with McLaren Lando Norris. The altercation, described by former driver and commentator Martin Brundle as a ‘red mist moment’, has sparked a debate about the limits of competitive racing.

One of the many points of interest of the exciting race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was Verstappen’s action against Norris earlier in the race. Martin Brundle did not mince his words, describing Verstappen’s actions as ‘ridiculous’ and admitting his disappointment.

“(The Turn 7 incident) is just a red fog moment, and actually a ridiculous moment. He took them out two and he was lucky he didn’t get a drive-through penalty or anything like that. I’m so impressed with Max, and I hate it when he does things like that. He’s better than that.

“I think he carries frustration because he has the third fastest car at the moment. We know he’s feisty, and we know he’s aggressive – and that’s what you want, that’s what we’re about – but there is a limit. That second incident was way beyond the limit.

“If he keeps getting penalties he’s going to have to tame them,” Brundle warned.

These penalties were a major talking point for Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who described them as overly harsh. He defended Verstappen’s actions and argued that Norris’s late move opened the door for both to wander off track.

“Max left the track at turn four and then at turn seven. Lando opened the door very late and they both ran out of there,” said Horner.

“The problem is, I think we’re going to get into very dangerous territory: At what point is a dive bomb going to be OK?” He called for a clearer dialogue between the FIA ​​and the drivers to define acceptable racing behaviour, adding: ‘I think the FIA ​​and the drivers really need to sit down and decide what is acceptable and what is not. The second one (penalties) was a bit on the hard side today.”

Verstappen’s penalties had consequential consequences and affected Red Bull’s strategic options and performance. “You must always stick to the rules. We will watch and learn from this race, but more for us today was that we just didn’t have the pace. That is what our focus will be on over the next five days,” Horner reflected, acknowledging the need for performance improvements

The Grand Prix of Mexico City, part of a long tradition dating back to the first championship event in 1963, had a brilliant run this year. It was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who won and took the checkered flag, ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc in second and third respectively.