Max Verstappen had a tumultuous run at the Mexican GP as the defending champion finished sixth. Although the car was going well, the Dutchman could not defend his outside space against Lando Norris. As a result, when the Briton made an ambitious attempt to overtake, Verstappen tried repeating his US GP defense mechanism.
Sadly, luck was on Norris’s side this time as he passed the Dutchman. Subsequently, Verstappen was rewarded two twenty-second penalties and two demerit points on his super license. The frustrated triple champion has blamed RB20’s slow pace for causing this incident. In the post-race debrief, Verstappen explained his disastrous run, linking it with RBR’s technical woes.
“We’re Too Slow,” Verstappen Points Fingers At Red Bull For Putting Him Under A Vulnerable Situation
During the Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen faced a challenging race marked by multiple incidents that led to significant penalties. On lap 10, he forced Lando Norris off the track at Turn 4 while the McLaren driver attempted to pass him for second place. This maneuver allowed Carlos Sainz, the race leader, to reclaim the first position. Verstappen later lunged at Norris again at Turn 8, which resulted in both drivers running off the track. Verstappen received two separate 10-second time penalties for these two incidents, totaling 20 seconds. He served these penalties during his only pit stop and ultimately finished in sixth place.
In contrast, Norris secured second place, earning 10 points and narrowing the gap to Verstappen in the championship standings to 47 points, with just four races left in the season. Additionally, after the race, the stewards added two penalty points to Verstappen’s license for the Turn 4 incident, bringing his total to six points within a 12-month period.
In his reflection on the race, Verstappen expressed frustration with the performance of his Red Bull car, attributing his challenging situation to its lack of pace. He noted that this underperformance put him in difficult positions during the race. Verstappen struggled with grip, sliding excessively, and was unable to brake effectively, which made it difficult to catch up to the Mercedes drivers ahead. He emphasized that the primary issue was the race pace, which had been particularly poor on both medium and hard tires.
Christian Horner Urges Red Bull To Fix Pace Issue Ahead Of Sao Paulo GP
Christian Horner emphasized that the primary focus for Red Bull in the coming days will be understanding the lack of race pace they experienced during the recent race. While the team had a solid performance during qualifying, Horner noted that their race pace fell short compared to competitors like Ferrari and McLaren. He highlighted the importance of analyzing the reasons behind this discrepancy in performance, stating that identifying the issues will be crucial for their preparations moving forward. Red Bull’s technical team will prioritize this analysis over the next five days to ensure they can improve their competitiveness in upcoming races.
