Red Bull Faces FIA Showdown Over Verstappen’s Double Penalties?
Oct.28 - Dutch commentator Olav Mol wonders if Red Bull has "the balls" to challenge Max Verstappen's multiple Mexican GP penalties.
A week ago in Austin, Lando Norris' 5-second penalty for overtaking title rival Verstappen off the track caused uproar and even a pledge from the FIA to update the driving guidelines from 2025.
But on Sunday in Mexico, the pair's latest wheel-to-wheel stoushes earned the triple world champion not one but two 10-second penalties - and two penalty points on his super license.
Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko thinks it was an "overreaction" by the stewards following the US GP controversy. Team boss Christian Horner even brought a telemetry print-out to his sit-down with the written media after the race.
"Lando was 15kph faster and braked later during his attack than he did on his fastest lap," Horner insisted.
"You can also see from the onboard that he would never have made the corner."
After the Austin incident, McLaren waited until Mexico before asking for its 'right of review' hearing to challenge Norris' 5-second penalty. Mol, working for Ziggo Sport, now urges Red Bull to challenge the latest FIA verdict.
"For the same kind of incident, George Russell (in Austin) got a five-second penalty, but in Mexico, Verstappen gets ten seconds. The Verstappen verdict says that ten seconds is the standard penalty.
"Red Bull has a claim to have the entire race declared null and void," said a fired-up Mol, "because this is clearly not the standard penalty. Then Norris gets five seconds in the United States, Verstappen gets ten seconds in Mexico.
"To the FIA, I say - 'f*ck you!" the Dutchman slammed.
He admits he suspects that the stewards in Mexico, including former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, "have been influenced by all that bullsh*t and nonsense in England about that overtaking manoeuvre in Austin".
"I'm not saying the penalties were unjustified, but that the amount of the penalty is twice as much. I think Red Bull has a case here, if they have the balls."
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Resorting to telemetry trace was low for Horner, especially as he can't prove Lando's driving without seeing his trace anyway.
He should simply accept the true reason for him leaving track at T4 & that what happened at T7 was a clear red mist from Max.
In fact, according to the rules, Verstappen should have received a ten-second penalty in Austin and a black flag in Mexico. But the stewards have already taught the underchampion impunity, and he did not go through school in F-1 and F-2...
Yeah, but Hamilton also only received a 10 sec. penalty for his Copse corner "move" on Verstappen in 2021. I guess Verstappen tried to do the same now... don't get me wrong I really don't like this kind of behavour it has nothing to do with racing. It's only ego fulfillment.
In 2021, Verstappen should have been disqualified at least in three races. I don't remember any one...
The Saudi Arabian GP definitely, although he didn't have any other disqualification-worthy drives in that season.
Verstappen got off very lightly in this case. Should have been a minimum of disqualification for his dangerous driving. This was not merely a driving error, it was deliberate and worthy of a much greater penalty than 2x10 second penalties.
Indeed, especially given the repetitiveness since 2016 & that his lunge at T7 was clearly a red mist because Lando didn't let him by after rejoining track after T5.
Stewards should've been able to detect that aspect.
Well if you think that Max should have been disqualified what should have happened to HAM in 2021 at Silverstone . He put Max into the wall at high speed.
The stewards penalised HAM with a 10 second penalty.
I know which driving I think was far more dangerous.
Max was attempting to overtake round the outside, always risky. I seem to remember Max pushing Ham miles off track and obviously trying to put him in the barriers on another occasion.
Theres the bus, everyone on please , stopping at Max is the Devil, followed by the worst driver ever stop, before finishing at Fia Hq for tea and biscuits , baaaaa, baaaaa, round em up shep
It's a sad indictment on the state of F1 today that penalties have to be imposed because of reckless driving. Drivers of yester-year, I refer to great drivers such as Fangio (the real GOAT), Clark, Ascari, Moss, Brabham, Stewart, et al, didn't use these driving tactics to force other drivers off the track in order to pass them. If we want to watch bash and barge car racing, we should be watching NASCAR, commonly know as Bashcar! It really is a sad state of affairs that specific rules for safe driving need to introduced because some drivers have no respect for the safety of others. The FIA must take a stand to eliminate this type of reckless and dangerous driving before some serious incident occurs. Like it or lump it, the stewards decision should be consistent and final without the intervention of teams of legal representatives.
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