Lando Norris couldn’t have been more savage in his response when asked for his feelings on Max Verstappen getting hit with two penalties totalling 20 seconds at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday. The Dutchman was slapped with two 10-second penalties after a pair of incidents on lap 10 of the race – and it ultimately cost him a potential place on the podium.
Firstly, he was disciplined after forcing Norris off-track at Turn Four as the McLaren tried to overtake around the outside. He later forced both of them off the circuit at Turn Eight as he tried to regain his position in a robust manoeuvre. The resulting punishment led to a disappointing sixth place finish for the triple world champion as Norris took second, trimming the gap between them to 47 points with 4 rounds (and 2 sprint races) left in this dramatic 2024 season.
The drama happened just a week after a controversial race in Texas at the US Grand Prix, where a similar incident happened late race in the pair’s battle for the podium, although in that case, it was Norris that was penalised for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when Verstappen had the edge at the apex. This time, it was Norris deemed in front at the apex and Verstappen that faced sanctions.
Lando Norris Couldn’t Hide His Delight at Verstappen’s Aggressive Style Being Punished
The Brit had been concerned for his own safety during the race
Addressing the situation, Norris held nothing back as he shared his assessment of the penalty with the media.
“I think he got what he had coming to him!”
The 24-year-old continued: “I felt like I just had to avoid collisions, and that’s not what you feel like you want to do in a race. He’s in a very powerful position in the championship. He’s a long way ahead. He has nothing to lose. It’s not my job to control him. He knows how to drive. And I’m sure he knows that today was probably a bit over the limit.
“Today, I think, was another level on both of those cases. I was ahead of Max in the braking zone, past the apex. I am avoiding crashing today. This is the difference. I don’t see it as a win or anything like this, but it’s more that I hope Max acknowledges that he took it a step too far.”
Verstappen didn’t have much to say about the decision afterwards, but, per BBC Sport, he unsurprisingly wasn’t a happy man. “Twenty seconds is a lot. I just drive how I think I have to drive. Last week it was all right, this week [I get] a 20 second penalty.”
The Dutchman seemed more concerned with his team’s lack of race pace, as Red Bull’s 2024 car continues its struggle to match the form from the last couple of seasons and even the start of this year, which has been key to Verstappen’s current championship advantage that he looks set to maintain by the last chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, despite a poor weekend in Mexico.
With Verstappen’s penalty-ridden weekend and a dismal (and potentially final) home race for Sergio Perez, who finished last of 17 finishers, Red Bull have now dropped to third place in the Constructors’ Championship behind Ferrari, after Carlos Sainz’s victory and Charles Leclerc’s podium finish.
But once again, it’s Verstappen’s racecraft that dominated the headlines. The Dutchman’s aggressive style has ruffled many feathers throughout his career because of how much he pushes the boundaries of what is fair and what isn’t. With this weekend’s drama right after the chaos of the US Grand Prix, there is plenty of discussion about whether the current regulations need to change and if Verstappen is finally reaping the consequences of his approach to racing that has characterised his growing legacy.
The third of three-straight race weekends takes place in Brazil next week. Tensions in South America are likely to be at a fever pitch as Norris and Verstappen battle it out for supremacy.