Max Verstappen kept his cool after receiving a harsh 20-second penalty for two incidents with Lando Norris during the Mexico GP, focusing his frustration on Red Bull’s pace issues rather than the stewards. The penalties, which came after Verstappen twice forced Norris off-track on Lap 10, effectively ended his podium hopes and allowed Norris to secure second place.
Calling the penalty “silly” over team radio, Verstappen took a measured tone with the press, stating, “Honestly, 20 seconds is a lot, but I’m not going to cry about it. We didn’t touch, we’re just racing hard.” Rather than disputing the penalty, he shifted the focus to Red Bull’s underwhelming performance, saying, “The problem is that we are too slow, and that’s why I’m being put in those kinds of positions.”
Verstappen’s lack of optimism about rule improvements was evident as he looked ahead to the Qatar GP meeting, which aims to streamline racing rules after recent controversies. “Can the rules be better? Maybe yes, maybe not. It’s always the same thing,” he shrugged.
Despite the setback, Verstappen remains 47 points ahead of Norris in the championship, with four races to go, including two sprint weekends. Still, Verstappen acknowledged his Red Bull struggled in Mexico: “I couldn’t even fight the Mercedes cars in front… just had no grip. I was just sliding a lot.”
As the title race heats up, Verstappen will be hoping for a stronger performance in Brazil, where he aims to close out the championship. But with Norris closing the gap, the championship battle remains wide open.
