Heavy penalty
Even when he finishes sixth, the post-race discussions still revolve around him: Max Verstappen. If in Austin, it was Lando Norris who was penalized in their duel, this time in Mexico, it was the reigning world champion who found himself heavily penalized by the stewards. He was given a 20-second penalty for pushing Lando Norris off track in Turn 4 and for gaining an advantage by going off track in Turn 8. These two penalties came in quick succession during an intense battle between the two contenders for the Drivers’ Championship title.
No regrets
The message Max Verstappen seemed to send to his rival was clear: rather than let you pass, we’ll end up in a collision. After the race, speaking to French TV channel Canal+, car #1 didn’t openly argue against the penalty he received but showed a defiant attitude, confirming he has no intention of changing his driving style: “A fair penalty? I don’t have any particular thoughts on it,” said the three-time world champion. “The only thing is that staying in the pits for 20 seconds is really a lot. But the biggest problem today was that we didn’t have pace. I struggled a lot with the tires. We weren’t in the same category as Ferrari and McLaren. Change my driving style? No, I won’t change it,” the Dutch champion stated defiantly, then added mockingly, “But next time, I’ll make sure to have something to drink in the pits. There are ups and downs. Some weeks are better than others. We just have to keep working to make the car competitive again,” he concluded at the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Alone on an island
Speaking to Sky Sport F1 after the race at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the Dutchman added, without mincing words, that he now considers the team title “completely lost.” He’s left to defend the drivers’ championship, where Max Verstappen currently has a 47-point lead over Lando Norris with four Grands Prix (and two Sprint races) remaining.
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