“Verstappen Penalized After Controversial Battle with Norris at Mexican Grand Prix”
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen had a rough experience at the Mexican Grand Prix and faced further consequences for his actions on Sunday evening.
The 27-year-old finished sixth in Mexico City, a result below expectations, and was called “dangerous” by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Just a week after Norris himself received a penalty in Austin, Verstappen was given two ten-second penalties following a wheel-to-wheel encounter with the British driver.
Both incidents took place on the tenth lap. Verstappen pushed Norris off the track at turn four, and later, at turn eight, he attempted a high-speed maneuver to reclaim second place, sending both cars off the track and nearly causing another collision.
“This guy is dangerous,” Norris told his team over the radio. “I had to avoid a crash, just like last time. I’ll end up in the wall soon.”
The race stewards ruled Verstappen at fault for both incidents, resulting in two ten-second penalties rather than the standard five seconds.
Following the race, Verstappen received additional punishment in the form of two penalty points on his super license for the turn four incident, bringing his total to six points over the past year. A driver who accumulates 12 points faces a race suspension.
In their letter to the Red Bull team manager, the stewards explained, “[Lando] Norris was attempting to pass [Max] Verstappen on the outside of Turn 4. Norris was ahead at the entry, apex, and exit of the turn when Verstappen forced him off the track.”
The stewards concluded that Norris would have safely completed the maneuver if Verstappen hadn’t pushed him off, causing Norris to cut the corner and then relinquish his gained position to Sainz.
Afterward, McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed his frustration, telling Sky Sports F1, “Enough is enough.” He praised the FIA stewards but insisted, “The penalties were probably not enough… let’s focus on clean racing going forward.”
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won the race, boosting Ferrari’s position in the constructors’ standings, though they still trail McLaren by 29 points. Norris finished second, cutting Verstappen’s lead in the driver standings to 47 points.