Max Verstappen brushes off penalties to focus on Red Bull’s pace woes.
Despite a hefty 20-second time penalty, Max Verstappen remains unfazed, attributing his struggles in the Mexican Grand Prix to Red Bull’s lackluster race pace. The reigning F1 champion received two 10-second penalties for incidents with title rival Lando Norris, impacting his championship lead.
Heartbreaking Turn 8 Penalty for Verstappen
The first penalty arose from Verstappen forcing Norris off the track at Turn 4, followed by a second penalty for exceeding track limits at Turn 8, gaining an advantage over Norris. While Norris suffered a five-second penalty in Austin for a similar incident, Verstappen faced harsher consequences this time.
When questioned about his penalty, Verstappen stated, “20 seconds is a lot, but I’m not going to cry about it, and I’m also not going to share my opinion. The biggest problem that I have is that today was a bad day in terms of race pace. That was quite clear again, on the mediums and on the hard tyres.”
Red Bull Pace: A Deeper Concern for Verstappen
Verstappen’s primary focus shifted from the penalties toward Red Bull’s performance. He expressed his frustration with the team’s lack of pace, stating, “Those two things are also not my problem. The problem is that we are too slow, and that’s why I’m being put in those kind of positions. That was my problem.”
This struggle proved evident as Verstappen endured a challenging race, finishing in P6 while Norris secured second place behind Carlos Sainz’s triumphant Ferrari. Verstappen added, “I just had no grip. I was just sliding a lot. I couldn’t brake. So, yeah, it was a very tough one.”
Hopes for Improvement in Brazil
Despite the difficulties faced in Mexico, Verstappen remains optimistic about Red Bull’s future performance. He commented, “I mean, we’re trying, but I mean Austin was more promising, here again was a bit more tough. So, it’s a bit odd. But a few things to look at, and hopefully, of course, Brazil, we can be more competitive.”
Despite the penalty and the disappointing result, Verstappen remains confident about his championship lead, emphasizing that “Still 47 points, so hopefully, we can just be a little bit more competitive.”
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