Max Verstappen overdid it and got a cold. With two time penalties, he took himself out of the competition at the beginning of the race and lost serious points against Lando Norris, who was knocked off the track twice. In addition, he again came under fire from critics.
After Austin, Max Verstappen’s race again revolved around the track limits and the battle with Lando Norris, but this time the defending champion was on the other side. At the start of the Mexican Grand Prix, the three-time world champion jumped to the front of the field, but after the safety car restart, two laps passed and Carlos Sainz overtook him.
Verstappen’s race turned downhill here. Or rather into skydiving. As he was about to charge back down the finish line, he began to radio furiously that his battery was dead. “What is this stupid engine mod?!” he asked his team nervously.
Not long after, Norris launched an attack on him in the braking distance of turn 4 on the outside curve. Verstappen braked briefly on the inside, then pushed his opponent off the track. In the pit, Norris overtook the Red Bull, who at the next chicane again drove to the inside curve, braked even shorter, then went completely off the track, and in the pit, he overtook the McLaren, which also turned there.
The fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (Photo: Formula1/X)
The FIA investigated the two cases separately (and with some phase delay) and, in accordance with this year’s new practice, imposed a 10-second penalty on the Dutchman instead of 5 – in both cases!
After standing in the pits for 20 seconds before his tire change, returning on the hard tires from the end of the field he peeled his way through the cars of the middle field with relative ease. His catch-up then stalled when he reached 6th place: he couldn’t keep up with the two Mercedes, so he didn’t improve any further.
“The thing is, when you’re slower, it puts you in those kinds of situations, and I’m not going to give up easily!”
said the British Verstappen Sky Sportsson
The Austrian ORFsaid to: “Twenty seconds is a lot, but that’s it. I’d rather not say anything about it. The only good part of the race was the start.”
He later said:
“Twenty seconds is a lot, but I’m not going to cry about it. And I won’t give my opinion about it. I felt that turn four was a little questionable. And the seventh was what it was. But those two things aren’t my problem. The problem is that we’re too slow, and that’s why I get into these situations. That’s my problem.”
The F1 reporter asked if he would do anything differently in the future in light of his penalties. “Maybe I’ll have a drink when I change the wheel… The engine stopped for twenty seconds, so I had enough time” came his reply.
The fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (Photo: Formula1/X)
Speaking to the written press, Verstappen still touched on his controversial movements.
“We didn’t get along with Lando, so we just raced hard. But at the end of the day, everyone stands up for themselves at the meeting. Could the rules be better? Maybe yes, maybe not. It’s always there. I drive the way I think I should drive. Last week everything was fine, this week I got a twenty second penalty. This is it. Life goes on. My advantage is still forty-seven points. Hopefully we’ll be a little bit more competitive.”
He didn’t want to say more about what happened. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree with the punishment. Although twenty seconds is quite a lot… The biggest problem – and this is what I’m worried about – was the race pace. It was really not good and we have to analyze that, because even without the penalties we would have had no chance of fighting at the front.”
When asked if he was surprised by their poor pace, he said: “I knew it would be difficult. I never felt great. I knew it would be very difficult to keep up with them.”
“It’s been like this since races: we’re slower than McLaren and now even Ferrari.”
Verstappen says it’s “difficult to say” where Red Bull is at the moment. “Every weekend is different. But it was not good here.”
The fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (Photo: XPB)
Red Bull’s pace in this race was not as strong as Ferrari’s and McLaren’s (especially on the hard rubber), but if you discount the 20 seconds of penalties, Verstappen could still have brought his car in 4th place if he had not fouled. Viewed from this point of view, he paid a heavy price for his momentary weakness in the long term, as he collected 4 points less.
Norris was eventually cautioned in 2nd place, giving him 10 points on the championship leader. There are 47 units between them with four races before the end of the season.
“I’m not worried. It was just a very bad day on our part. But at the same time, I know that we are capable of much better than this. So we just keep going”
said Verstappen when asked about his championship situation.
Meanwhile, Red Bull slipped to 3rd place in the Constructors’ Championship, and Sergio Pérez finished without points. They also tried to ask the defending champion about the fate of his teammate. “This is not our main problem at the moment. We have to improve our car, because if the car is better, then Checo will improve. I don’t deal with those questions, just how we can make the car faster.”
“Austin was already promising, but now we were simply too far behind. I hope that we will be more competitive in Brazil” he looked ahead.
Max Verstappen’s Misadventures in Mexico: Cold, Penalties, and Competitive Woes
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Max Verstappen, overstretching to the point of catching a cold while his rivals are left wondering what on earth just happened! It appears our Dutch dynamo decided that the race was merely a rehearsal and misunderstood the concept of “track limits.” With not one, but TWO time penalties in the bag, Max managed to do what drivers usually avoid: take himself out of the race, potentially letting Lando Norris sneak up to him in the championship. Talk about a plot twist worthy of a Sunday evening soap opera!
Penalty Drama: Verstappen vs. Norris
Now, after a rocky weekend in Austin, here we were again, watching the three-time world champion wrestling with the same ghost—track limits! Starting strong in the Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen zoomed to the front, only for the safety car restart to rain on his parade. In a shocking turn of events, Carlos Sainz overtook him, and that’s when Max’s race turned south… or shall we say, into a spirited skydiving contest without a parachute!
Adding to the drama, as Verstappen fumed about his dead battery, one could almost hear the echoes of his shout: “What is this stupid engine mod?!” Now that’s the kind of passionate artistry you love to see on team radio. Who needs soap operas when you have F1?
A Tango with Penalties
As the action escalated, Norris went for the kill—a daring attempt on the outside curve! But Verstappen, perhaps channeling his inner pit bull, decided to give Norris a less-than-cordial shove off the track, only to find himself in the stewards’ crosshairs. Because what’s a race without a bit of penalty drama? The FIA, always eager to keep things spicy, handed Max a ten-second penalty—yes, that’s a TEN! Not the five-second cocktail you might expect when he misbehaves, but a full-fledged ten! Now that’s a penalty heavy enough to inspire a Shakespearean tragedy.
The Cold Reality of Competition
Following a brief dalliance with the pit stop, where he spent a leisurely twenty seconds contemplating life choices, Verstappen rejoined the race scrambling from the back of the pack, clawing his way up through the midfield. But alas, just when the fighting spirit surged, he hit a wall—figuratively, of course—when he faced the two Mercedez and realized he’d forgotten to pack his pace for this little adventure.
“The thing is, when you’re slower, it puts you in those kinds of situations, and I’m not going to give up easily!”
Ah, the wise words of Verstappen’s British counterpart. But would we expect anything less? And amid the backdrop of penalty woes and lost points, Verstappen was indeed introspective. “Twenty seconds is a lot, but I’m not going to cry about it. And I won’t give my opinion about it,” he stated, clearly more concerned about the lack of pace in his Red Bull. The man might have faced mechanical failures, but he’s got his excuses ready like Georgie from the bakery on a busy Saturday.
Future Possibilities?
What’s next on the agenda? Well, Verstappen got cheeky when asked whether he might handle penalties differently. “Maybe I’ll have a drink when I change the wheel,” he quipped. The humor is great, but few would argue these are not the kind of refreshments you down before a big chase.
So where does that leave us? Verstappen is grappling with a declining car pace compared to that of McLaren and Ferrari. What started as a championship cruise is now looking rather more like a precarious tightrope walk. As he himself pointed out, “Every weekend is different. But it was not good here.” Let’s face it, when the reigning champ starts talking about being “slower than McLaren,” you know he’s ready to throw in the towel… or, at the very least, head to the drawing board.
The Nice Missed Opportunity
Statistically speaking, if you toss those pesky penalties aside, Verstappen still had a shot at placing fourth. But moments of weakness and racing gaffes turned what could have been a secured four points into a minor setback. Meanwhile, Norris, in a stroke of luck, snagged second place, closing the gap to the championship leader. Verstappen might have coined that cold he caught, but it certainly seems like Norris is catching up faster than a discount store shopper on Black Friday!
Final Thoughts
With Red Bull now slipping to third in the Constructors’ Championship and his teammate Sergio Pérez hitting a bit of a speed bump, Verstappen has bigger fish to fry than answering questions about Checo. The man’s got tracks to conquer, and all he needs is a little—well, maybe a lot—of speed to get back on top.
“I’m not worried. It was just a very bad day on our part. But at the same time, I know that we are capable of much better than this. So we just keep going.”
So here’s hoping for a quick turnaround in Brazil—because if there’s one thing the world needs right now, it’s a red-hot, revved-up Max Verstappen back at the front, setting the track ablaze instead of slipping over his own racing shoelaces!
Max Verstappen’s performance took a significant downturn at the Mexican Grand Prix as he faced a cold and two time penalties that ultimately derailed his chances in the race, resulting in him losing critical points to his competitor, Lando Norris, who experienced his own challenges after being knocked off the track on two occasions. Additionally, the Dutch driver found himself once again the target of heavy criticism from pundits and fans alike.
Following the race in Austin, Verstappen’s storyline prominently featured issues surrounding track limits and his ongoing duel with Norris, but this time, the defending champion was forced to contend with setbacks. At the onset of the Mexican Grand Prix, the three-time world champion surged to the front, but following a safety car restart, he quickly fell behind, allowing Carlos Sainz to pass him just two laps later.
Verstappen’s struggles became evident here, spiraling from a promising start to a frantic fight for survival. In a desperate bid to regain position, he expressed frustration over his car’s performance, urgently communicating to his team about his failing battery. “What is this stupid engine mod?!” he exclaimed, his voice laced with anxiety.
Shortly thereafter, Norris seized an opportunity and embarked on an aggressive overtake in the braking zone at turn 4, maneuvering on the outside curve. Moments later, Verstappen’s evasive actions backfired as he braked abruptly on the inside, inadvertently forcing his rival off the track. As they approached the pit, Norris managed to outpace the Red Bull. When they reached the next chicane, Verstappen attempted to reclaim his position but veered completely off-track, allowing Norris to navigate past him once again.
The FIA scrutinized both incidents individually, and in line with this season’s revised regulations, imposed two separate 10-second penalties on Verstappen, rather than the 5 seconds that had been customary in previous seasons.
After spending 20 seconds in the pits for his tire change, he rejoined the race equipped with hard tires, swiftly maneuvering through traffic in the midfield but quickly hitting a wall at the sixth position. He found it increasingly difficult to maintain pace with the two Mercedes ahead, signaling the stark reality of his situation.
“The thing is, when you’re slower, it puts you in those kinds of situations, and I’m not going to give up easily!”
said the British driver after the race, reflecting on the intense clash with Verstappen.
Meanwhile, the Austrian broadcaster ORF noted: “Twenty seconds is a lot, but that’s it. I’d rather not say anything about it. The only good part of the race was the start.”
Verstappen later commented on the hefty penalty:
“Twenty seconds is a lot, but I’m not going to cry about it. And I won’t give my opinion about it. I felt that turn four was a little questionable. And the seventh was what it was. But those two things aren’t my problem. The problem is that we’re too slow, and that’s why I get into these situations. That’s my problem.”
When pressed on whether he plans to adjust his racing strategy in light of his penalties, he wittily replied, “Maybe I’ll have a drink when I change the wheel… The engine stopped for twenty seconds, so I had enough time.”
Speaking candidly with reporters, Verstappen addressed his controversial race maneuvers:
“We didn’t get along with Lando, so we just raced hard. But at the end of the day, everyone stands up for themselves at the meeting. Could the rules be better? Maybe yes, maybe not. It’s always there. I drive the way I think I should drive. Last week everything was fine, this week I got a twenty second penalty. This is it. Life goes on. My advantage is still forty-seven points. Hopefully we’ll be a little bit more competitive.”
He expressed reluctance to delve further into the events of the race, indicating, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree with the punishment. Although twenty seconds is quite a lot… The biggest problem – and this is what I’m worried about – was the race pace. It was really not good and we have to analyze that, because even without the penalties we would have had no chance of fighting at the front.”
When asked if he was caught off guard by their lack of performance, he asserted: “I knew it would be difficult. I never felt great. I knew it would be very difficult to keep up with them.”
He emphasized, “It’s been like this since races: we’re slower than McLaren and now even Ferrari.”
Verstappen characterized the current state of Red Bull Racing, stating it is “difficult to say” where they stand at the moment. “Every weekend is different. But it was not good here.”
Red Bull’s performance during the race was overshadowed by the superiority displayed by Ferrari and McLaren, particularly on the hard tire compound. However, if one were to overlook the penalties, Verstappen still had the potential to finish in 4th place, highlighting the heavy toll his temporary lapses took on his championship ambitions as he concluded the race with four points less than he would have hoped for.
Norris ultimately finished in the second position, accumulating 10 points that brought him closer to Verstappen in the championship battle. With only four races left in the season, there remains a 47-point margin between the two drivers.
“I’m not worried. It was just a very bad day on our part. But at the same time, I know that we are capable of much better than this. So we just keep going”
Verstappen reiterated his confidence in his team’s capabilities when asked about the championship implications.
In another twist, Red Bull found themselves slipping to third place in the Constructors’ Championship, with Sergio Pérez finishing without any points. During the press conference, Verstappen was also asked about his teammate’s struggles. “This is not our main problem at the moment. We have to improve our car, because if the car is better, then Checo will improve. I don’t deal with those questions, just how we can make the car faster.”
Looking ahead after a disappointing showing, Verstappen expressed hope, stating, “Austin was already promising, but now we were simply too far behind. I hope that we will be more competitive in Brazil.”
