"Outrageous" Verstappen puts "everybody at risk" says Brown
F1 News
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has branded the recent driving of Max Verstappen as "outrageous", saying it puts "everybody at risk." Since Formula 1 returned from its month-long autumn break, incidents between Verstappen and title rival Lando Norris have played out both at the United States and Mexican Grand Prix, bringing up lots of talking points.
In the US, Norris was given a five-second time penalty after gaining an advantage off the track when overtaking Verstappen, This was because Verstappen managed to make it to the apex of the corner first, allowing him to use all the track to push Norris out wide and force him off the track, meaning the only way he could overtake the Dutchman was off-road. He did not give the position back, and that resulted in a penalty.
However, a week later in Mexico City, Verstappen was then the recipient of penalties from the FIA. This time around, the Red Bull driver was judged to have forced Norris off the track while defending the inside line, resulting in a ten-second time penalty for the Dutchman. Just three corners later, Verstappen then barrelled up the inside of Norris, missing the corner entirely and forcing them both off the track in a moment of madness, resulting in another ten-second time penalty.
Brown believes incidents with Verstappen "took win away" from Norris
Speaking to Viaplay after the race in Mexico City, Brown was in shock at the driving style of Verstappen: "I thought it was outrageous. Max is such a great driver. You just shouldn't think you have to drive like that. Just drive like the world champion you are. It was unnecessary and it puts everyone in danger, and it's not fair racing. I thought the penalties were very justified. Hats off to the FIA stewards. Let's race clean for the rest of the year, race hard."
The American continued on, believing that the tussle between the two title protagonists hindered the progress of Norris, meaning he missed out on the chance to take a fourth victory of the year: "That probably cost us the race or a chance to win, so pretty disappointing, because while he [Max] ruined his own race, he might have taken the win away from us." Norris eventually finished second behind race winner Carlos Sainz, finishing just under five seconds behind the Spaniard when the chequered flag fell.
This article was created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!