McLaren say Max Verstappen's penalties are 'not enough' following Mexico move
McLaren team principal Zak Brown commended the race stewards for imposing a 20-second penalty on Max Verstappen during the Mexico City Grand Prix, remarking that the sanction was "probably not enough" given that the three-time world champion finished in sixth place.
Verstappen, who leads the championship but has not secured a victory in the last ten races since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, received penalties for overly aggressive maneuvers in two significant incidents involving Lando Norris in the early laps of the race.
In both occurrences, he forced the British driver off the track, mirroring actions taken a week prior in Austin during the United States Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, who will be leaving the team to make way for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton next season, emerged victorious in Sunday’s race, finishing ahead of Norris, with his teammate Charles Leclerc taking third in the second Ferrari.
Brown stated, "It's probably not enough. I mean it's getting a bit ridiculous. I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. Let's just have some good clean racing moving forwards." He added, "I think the stewards are on it, which is evident from the penalties issued. The stewards performed admirably this weekend."
Norris commented, "I knew what to expect; I didn't want to anticipate such behavior because I respect Max as a driver, but I was prepared for something like this. In my opinion, this is not very clean driving. I managed to avoid it, and it was a good race."
Verstappen began the race from the second position on the grid next to pole sitter Sainz and initially took the lead before Sainz reclaimed it shortly before Verstappen engaged in his battle with Norris.
As a result of this race, Verstappen's lead in the championship was reduced by 10 points, now standing at 47, while Ferrari surpassed Red Bull in the constructors' standings, moving into second place, 29 points behind leaders McLaren with four races remaining.
Verstappen dismissed the penalties as "quite big" but expressed greater concern regarding Red Bull's diminished competitive pace, which contributed to his involvement in the contentious incidents.
The issue arises when a slower pace places one in challenging situations, and I am determined not to concede easily, he stated.
Ultimately, the matter is not merely about whether one agrees or disagrees with the penalties. The fact remains that a 20-second deficit is significant; however, my primary concern today is the race pace, which was notably inadequate and requires thorough analysis.
SportsLigue