Christian Horner shares whether he’s planning to appeal Max Verstappen penalties with Lando Norris data

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Max Verstappen received two 10-second penalties at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend. Outside Red Bull, most agreed that the sanctions were justified.

The stewards penalised Verstappen for two incidents with Lando Norris in the space of four corners on lap 10. He’d taken the lead at the start of the race after winning the drag race with polesitter Carlos Sainz, but the Ferrari stormed back through.

That put title rival Norris on his tail, and the officials felt he was too aggressive in his defence. The Englishman tried to go round the outside at turn four, but Verstappen pushed him onto the grass.

That triggered a 10-second penalty for forcing another driver off the track. Norris came back onto the circuit ahead of the Dutchman, who attempted a lunge at turn seven – not a traditional overtaking spot.

He was out of control when he did so and ran wide, once again forcing Norris off in the process. This time his penalty was for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

After serving his penalties in the pits, Verstappen fell to sixth place behind the two Mercedes. With Red Bull struggling for pace, he couldn’t make any progress and he saw his championship lead reduced to 47 points.

Christian Horner asked whether he’ll appeal Max Verstappen’s Mexico City Grand Prix penalties

Team principal Christian Horner disagreed with Verstappen’s first penalty in particular. He challenged the verdict by bringing Norris’ telemetry with him to a media session on Sunday evening.

According to Fox Sports Australia, Horner was trying to demonstrate that Norris would never have made the corner at turn four. He’d apparently carried too much speed and was always going to run wide.

Horner was quieter on the turn eight incident, for which Verstappen has received a greater backlash. He ‘confirmed’ that he wouldn’t formally appeal the decisions even after his public protest.

In Mexico, McLaren pushed for a review of Norris’ five-second penalty at the US GP. This was rejected on the basis that they didn’t provide new and compelling evidence.

Why Damon Hill fears Max Verstappen is losing respect

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 immediately after the race, Horner accused Norris of a ‘divebomb’ at T4. He was concerned that Verstappen’s penalty would legitimise a supposedly reckless manoeuvre from the McLaren.

F1 drivers held an unusually long briefing in Mexico as they debated whether to change the existing rules of engagement. There are further talks planned for the penultimate round in Qatar ahead of the 2025 season.

1996 world champion Damon Hill believes Verstappen is ‘losing respect’ among his peers. He thinks ‘hell will freeze over’ before he changes his approach.

Many feel the Dutchman is resorting to the same controversial tactics he used against Lewis Hamilton in 2021. He hasn’t won any of the last 10 races, so he’s had to fight to preserve his advantage.