Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports F1 / Formula 1
Topics: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Formula 1, George Russell, McLaren
Ryan Smart
Topics: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Formula 1, George Russell, McLaren
Lando Norris made his feelings perfectly clear about Max Verstappen's driving during the opening laps of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen was handed a 20-second time penalty for two incidents with Norris on lap eight, in which he was adjudged to have forced the McLaren driver off the track.
A similar incident occurred between the two drivers in Austin last weekend, but Verstappen was adjudged to have been ahead at the apex and was not given a time penalty.
The stewards' decision in Mexico, though, was very different.
And after the pair of incidents, Norris was left livid over team radio.
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He said: "I was ahead the whole way through the corner. This guy is dangerous. I just have to avoid a crash, it's the same as last time.
"I'm going to end up in a wall in a minute."
He then fumed: "Yeah, he overtook off the track and pushed me off [on the second incident]."
After being informed about the penalty, meanwhile, Verstappen said: "Ten [seconds]? That's impressive."
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His race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase replied: "There was a lot of whinging [from McLaren]."
After the second penalty was announced, Verstappen said: "How about him then, turn four? That's fine then? That's silly, man."
Martin Brundle, meanwhile, sided with the stewards and called Verstappen's moves 'outrageous' on commentary.
And when Mercedes' George Russell was told of the penalty, he simply replied: "Wow!"
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Verstappen did keep in front of Norris until his pit stop, in which he served the 10-second penalty, while Norris inherited third position following his own pit stop.
Ahead of the race, Verstappen led Norris by 57 points in the Drivers' Championship, with Charles Leclerc a further 12 points back. Leclerc took second following the incident between Verstappen and Norris, having qualified in fourth place and kept the position on the first lap of the race.