Mexico City Grand Prix: 'Dangerous' Max Verstappen planned as Lando Norris' battle boils over with penalties in frantic race

Max Verstappen was branded “dangerous” and “ridiculous” for his driving at the Mexico City Grand Prix after his battle with fed-up Lando Norris reached boiling point, with McLaren boss Zak Brown insisting “enough is enough”.

Exactly a week after a controversial fight in Austin where Norris was penalized, Verstappen received two 10-second penalties for his actions in a wheel-to-wheel battle with the British driver in Mexico and ultimately finished sixth, four places behind his title rival .

“He got what was coming to him,” said Norris, who has now cut Verstappen’s title lead to 47 points with four rounds to go.

Both of this Sunday’s incidents occurred on lap 10, when Verstappen first forced Norris into turn four (the McLaren had a crucial lead at the apex before running out of room) and then dived into the inside of the fast turn eight as he attempted to come back. second place, with both cars going off the track and nearly colliding.

“This man is dangerous,” Norris complained on team radio afterwards. “I just had to avoid a crash, just like last time. Within a minute I’m in the wall.”

The stewards ruled Verstappen wrong on both occasions and handed out two 10-second penalties – instead of the usual five seconds for racing incidents – which pitted the Red Bull driver to effectively take him out of contention.

“(The penalties were) probably not enough,” McLaren CEO Brown said Sky Sports F1.

“I mean, it’s getting a bit ridiculous. I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. Let’s just have some good, clean races.”

Carlos Sainz won the race, while Ferrari took a lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.

The view of Norris and McLaren: ‘Too far’

For McLaren, it was clear that they felt Verstappen was finally being sufficiently punished for what was, in Norris’s words, on “a different level” than anything he had seen racing against the three-time world champion so far this season .

“The stewards did a good job this weekend,” Brown added, as the stewards met with drivers in Qatar to discuss racing guidelines going forward.

“I think the stewards are working on it, I think that is clear from the penalties that have been given.”

Norris said immediately after the race that he was “ready to expect something like this” after the US drama, and continued to do so Sky Sports F1: “I respect Max a lot in what he does, how he races, all these things, and I’m looking forward to having good battles with him.

“I want them; it makes me smile and that’s what I love about racing and why I do it a certain way. But things like today are a bit too far. We could both be out of the race, and I don’t think you should race like that.

“Maybe some people will disagree and say I’m wrong, but I think today was a step too far and I think Max will know that, I hope, and then we can move on to even more to fight some cleaner, fairer fights, because I’m looking forward to them.”

He also explained how Verstappen’s title position, albeit weaker than pre-Sunday, influences his mentality.

“It doesn’t matter if he comes first or second, he just wants to beat me. And he will sacrifice himself to do that,” he said. “He is in a very powerful position, he has a long way forward and nothing to lose.”

The position of Verstappen and Red Bull: Penalties ‘dangerous territory’

While the normally combative – both on and off track – Verstappen was certainly surprised on team radio when told about his penalties, he didn’t offer much defense when asked about the incident after the race.

“The problem is that if you are slower you are put in those kinds of positions. I am not going to give up easily,” said Verstappen. Sky Sports F1which shifted the conversation to Red Bull’s lack of pace.

“In the end it’s not about agreeing or disagreeing with the penalties – the only thing is 20 seconds is quite a lot – but the biggest problem today and also what worries me is the race speed. That really wasn’t the case. good and is something we need to analyze. Even without those penalties we had no chance to fight at the front.

“I’m not worried (about the title). This was a very bad race for us, but I also know that we can do much better than this, so we will just continue with it.”

Team boss Christian Horner also did not elaborate on the details of the penalties, but did say that such harsh consequences set a “dangerous” precedent for the future.

“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?

“I think the FIA and the drivers really need to sit down and decide what is acceptable and what is not. I thought two 10 second penalties were a bit harsh today.

“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’s what our focus will be on for the next five days. “

Brundle: ‘Scandalous’ Verstappen ‘far over the limit’

Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle on Verstappen versus Norris in Mexico:

“That was outrageous. (The Turn 8 incident) is just a red fog moment, and a ridiculous one really. He took them off and he was lucky he didn’t get a drive-through penalty or anything like that.

“I’m so in awe of Max, and I hate it when he does things like that. He’s better than that. He’s too good.

“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.”

Formula 1’s triple header in America concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with each session broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – No contract, cancel anytime