Christian Horner believes the first penalty Max
Verstappen got in Mexico City was “very harsh”, as Lando Norris attempted to
take “extra speed” in.
Verstappen was given two separate 10-second time penalties
in Mexico, due to his tactics while racing against his title rival in which he
was found to have pushed Norris off track as well as going off track and
gaining an advantage.
Christian Horner “struggling to understand” first penalty
Verstappen’s first incident was as he and Norris raced into
Turn 4, with the Dutch driver found to have pushed the McLaren off across the
grass and resulting in him cutting Turn 5.
The incident was just seven days after Norris and Verstappen
had a battle in the United States Grand Prix which went in the Red Bull‘s favour as Verstappen
was first to the apex – a key notation in the FIA’s Driving Guidelines for
overtaking and defending.
Norris was clearly aiming to simply keep his speed up to get
to the apex of Turn 4 first, Christian Horner has said, with the Red Bull boss
bringing along telemetry read-outs to his post-race media session to illustrate
his point of view.
Ahead of the Brazilian GP getting underway in earnest,
Horner appeared on Sky F1 to emphasise that point again.
“I think you got a reaction from Austin into that race,” he
said.
“For me, the first [penalty] was still very, very harsh.
“I understand the second one, but I think the first one I
still struggle to understand, particularly when we’d seen the data afterward,
you can see Lando come off the brakes, and take extra speed.
“He braked later than he did on his fastest lap.”
Put to him that Norris could have just been trying to take a
wider line, given that Verstappen was there, Horner said: “I think he was just
trying to be ahead.
“He’s carrying a lot more speed, and I really don’t think he
would have been able to stay on track at that point.”
“Of course, the other car just can’t get out of the way. The
problem we’ve got with the way these rules are going is that always, when
you’re on the outside, you’re going to be taking more risk.
“The corner belongs to the inside line. I get that one –
fair play, but the one before, I think it’s very, very difficult because it’s
going to change the way that these guys go racing.”
With the racing regulations very much in the spotlight as
the recent incidents in the United States and Mexico have brought forth their
importance, 1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill asked Horner whether Verstappen
is attempting to use the regulations to his advantage and is simply winning
some and losing some.
“I think it’s more the opposite way around,” he said.
“It’s the inverse way of that, where the car on the outside,
it’s almost like going for the offside rule – they’re trying to get ahead, or
show that their nose is ahead going to the apex, or come off the brakes, and
just carry speed.
“Now, if you’re on the outside, you’re inherently taking
more risk, because the inertia of these cars will always carry you to the exit
of the corner.
“The inside car, taking that sharper line, it will take that – so this is where it becomes very difficult to allow a car’s width for the car on the outside.
.webp)
