Max Verstappen received a 20-second penalty after two different incidents with title rival Lando Norris at the Mexico City GP. The episodes were similar to the ones during the Austin GP, in which the Dutchman wasn’t given a punishment. McLaren boss Zak Brown slammed his “ridiculous” driving after the race, which Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won.
“[The penalties were] probably not enough,” he told Sky Sports after the race. “I mean, it’s getting a bit ridiculous. I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. Let’s just have some good clean racing moving forwards,” Brown said.
Norris was pushed off the track while attempting to overtake the Red Bull driver at Turn 4 during the 11th lap, seemingly having the lead at the apex. After rejoining the circuit, Norris briefly held his position but was forced off once more when Verstappen went off track to regain second place at Turn 8.
The stewards investigated both incidents separately and handed two 10-second penalties to the championship leaders. After the race, Norris reiterated that Verstappen’s driving was “dangerous” and not “very clean driving.”
“I knew what to expect [with Max]. I didn’t want to expect that kind of thing because I respect Max a lot as a driver, but I was ready to expect something like this. It’s not very clean driving, in my opinion, but I avoided it and it was a good race,” he told Sky Sports.
Sainz wins Mexico, Verstappen loses advantage
The clash between Verstappen and Norris ended up helping Ferrari, who had a successful weekend after also triumphing in Austin. Sainz got the win, with Leclerc ending third, despite having a one-two lead for the majority of the race.
Either way, Verstappen’s penalties might be a turning point in the title race. The Dutchman is currently 47 ahead of Norris, with four more rounds to go. Meanwhile, Ferrari is only 29 points behind McLaren in the Constructors Championship.