McLaren CEO Zak Brown has voiced his dissatisfaction with the penalties handed to Max Verstappen during the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix. The race saw Verstappen penalized twice for incidents involving McLaren's Lando Norris, meaning the Red Bull driver ultimately had to serve 20-seconds worth of penalties.
During the Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, known for his aggressive driving style, was assessed two penalties totaling 20 seconds by the FIA stewards. The first incident involved forcing Lando Norris off the track, resulting in a 10-second time penalty for Verstappen. Later, he left the track and gained an advantage, incurring another 10 seconds. These penalties, though significant, did not appease Brown, who commented:
"[The penalties were] probably not enough! It's getting a bit ridiculous. So I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough's enough. Let's just have some good clean racing moving forward. Lando drove brilliantly. Congratulations to Carlos. He drove a brilliant race. That was an exciting race!
"I think the stewards are on it, I think that's clear by the penalties that they assessed. So I don't think we need to do anything. Just let the stewards do their job, they did a good job this weekend."
Norris, who finished the race in the second position, reflected on the difficulties he faced during the race stating:
"It was a very tough race. The first few laps, a lot of it was just trying to stay in the race and avoid any crashes. Carlos drove a very good race, so congratulations to him and Ferrari. I tried my best.
"I knew what to expect [with Max]. I didn't want to expect that kind of thing because I respect Max a lot as a driver, but I was ready to expect something like this. It's not very clean driving, in my opinion, but I avoided it and it was a good race.
"I just keep my head down. I'm doing my best, we're doing a very good job as a team and today we were probably quickest in the end. We'll keep pushing."
The impact of these penalties extends beyond this single race. With Norris finishing second and McLaren leading the Constructors' Standings, only 29 points ahead of a resurgent Ferrari, every point counts. Brown added:
"It's a lot tighter than I'd like it to be, but it's great for Formula One. Great to see Ferrari and McLaren going at it for the World Championship. Certainly can't rule out Red Bull. They're not far behind, but it's gonna be an exciting finish to the season."
The rivalry between McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull promises a nail-biting conclusion to the 2024 championship.
