After receiving two ten-second penalties at the Formula 1 Mexican GP, Max Verstappen pointed to Red Bull Racing‘s lack of competitiveness as the main cause of the incidents with McLaren’s Lando Norris, which resulted in punishments and the loss of important positions for the Dutchman. .
During the tenth lap of the race, Verstappen forced Norris to leave the track in an attempt to defend his position, while the Briton from McLaren tried to overtake him on the outside in turn 4. A few meters later, in turn 8, Verstappen made another maneuver aggressive, overtaking Norris outside the track limits. The actions resulted in two penalties, totaling twenty seconds. As a result, Verstappen finished the race in sixth place, while Norris finished second, reducing the gap to Verstappen in the drivers’ championship to 47 points with four GPs and two Sprint races remaining.
In addition to the time penalties, Verstappen also received two points towards his super license, now accumulating six points in the twelve month period.
In his statements after the race, Verstappen directed criticism at Red Bull, blaming the team for the lack of pace that, according to him, put him in risky situations on the track. “The problem is that we are too slow, and that is why I find myself in these situations. My biggest difficulty was the race pace, which again proved unsatisfactory with both the medium and hard tires,” he said.
With Carlos Sainz’s victory and Charles Leclerc’s third place, Ferrari won 41 of a possible 44 points, and Red Bull fell to third place in the constructors’ championship. Verstappen also commented on the difficulty he faced when trying to catch up to the Mercedes cars. “It was complicated. I had no grip, I was slipping a lot and I couldn’t brake properly. It was a difficult day”, concluded the Dutch driver.
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