Mexican GP: Verstappen more worried about his pace than penalties

The triple Formula One world champion started alongside Ferrari’s race winner Carlos Sainz but finished sixth after taking two 10-second penalties for forcing title rival Lando Norris off the track.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing before the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Max Verstappen sounded more concerned about his car’s pace than the penalties he collected in Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, sanctions his Red Bull team boss Christian Horner called “excessive”.

The triple Formula One world champion started alongside Ferrari’s race winner Carlos Sainz but finished sixth after taking two 10-second penalties for forcing title rival Lando Norris off the track.

The result cut the Dutch driver’s championship lead over McLaren’s Norris to 47 points with four rounds remaining.

Asked if he would have done anything differently, Verstappen joked that next time he might maybe get a drink while he waited in the pitstop. “I mean, the engine was off for 20 seconds, so I had enough time,” he added.

Verstappen said the 20 seconds was a lot but he was not going to cry about it. “The biggest problem that I have is that today was a bad day in terms of race pace. That was quite clear again on the mediums and on the hard tyres.” he told reporters.

The champion felt the turn four incident that triggered the first penalty was “more of a question mark” while the second at turn seven “is what it is”.

“To get back to sixth is alright but then I couldn’t even fight the Mercedes cars in front, I just had no grip. Just sliding a lot, couldn’t brake,” he said.

In Austin a week ago, Verstappen and Norris also clashed, and it was the McLaren driver who collected a penalty when he was pushed wide but ended up ahead and did not give the place back.

“Last week that was alright, this week 20 second penalty. It’s what it is,” said Verstappen. “I just keep racing.”

Horner told reporters separately that the penalties were “very harsh” and an obvious reaction to what had happened in Austin, and the backlash then.

“I think we’re in danger of flipping the overtaking laws upside down, where drivers will just try to get their nose ahead at the apex and then claim that they have to be given room on the exit (to the corner),” he added.

“It’s something that just needs to be tidied up so that everybody knows what is acceptable between now and the end of the season. Otherwise we’re going to end up in a mess at the upcoming races.”

Horner said Red Bull would not be seeking a right to review the stewards’ decision, unlike McLaren after the U.S. Grand Prix.