Horner labels Verstappen penalties as ‘very harsh’ and calls for overtaking regulations to ‘get back to basics’

Team Principal Christian Horner has given his verdict on the double penalty that decimated Max Verstappen’s race in Mexico, calling for the rules to be simplified to prioritise the “principles of motor racing”.

In a fraught battle with Lando Norris in the early stages of the Grand Prix, the Dutchman forcefully defended in such a way that led to the McLaren running off the track and emerging ahead of Verstappen at Turn 4.

EXPLAINED: Why the stewards decided to hit Verstappen with not one but two penalties in Mexico

Eager to reclaim the position, Verstappen then dived down the inside of Norris at Turn 8, taking the McLaren driver with him, and allowing Charles Leclerc to dart past while the duelling pair dropped to P3 and P4 with the Red Bull back in front.

He was subsequently handed two 10-second penalties – one for forcing the Briton onto the grass, and another for gaining a lasting advantage by going off the track.

Horner labelled the stewards’ decision as “very harsh”, bringing numerous printouts of telemetry and GPS data to a post-race media session to demonstrate that Norris would not have made the corner at Turn 4 no matter what.

“There’s great racing going on and I think it’s just important that the rules of engagement are fair, rather than giving an advantage to the outside line,” the Team Principal explained.

“Being on the outside has always been the more risky place to be, but now it’s almost the advantage, because all you’ve got to do is have your nose ahead at the point they turn irrelevant of whether you’re going to make the corner or not.

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“I think we’re in danger of flipping the overtaking laws upside down, where drivers will just try to get their nose ahead at the apex and then claim that they have to be given room on the exit, and you can see quite clearly he’s effectively come off the brakes, gone in super, super late, to try and win that argument as far as the way these regulations are written.

“At that point you’re penalised. Now, every karting circuit, every indoor karting circuit around the world, if you’ve got the inside line, you control the corner. It’s one of the principles in the physics of racing and I think that they just need to get back to basics that if you’re on the outside, you don't have priority.”

The combined 20 seconds of penalties took the Red Bull driver out of contention for the race win, and he was ultimately forced to settle for P6 while his title rival claimed his 12th podium finish of the season.

READ MORE: ‘It’s getting a bit ridiculous’ – Brown gives verdict on Verstappen penalties in Mexico

Norris is now 47 points adrift of the lead of the drivers’ standings, but the situation is more dire for the Milton Keynes outfit in the constructors’ battle where they have dropped to P3 with four race weekends to go.

In such a competitive season where every point counts, Horner added that it is more important than ever that the regulations are clear for every driver, as he indicated that Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson were not penalised for a similar fight.

He said: “It’s something that just needs to be, I think, tidied up, so that everybody knows what is acceptable between now and the end of the season. Otherwise, we’re going to end up in a mess at the upcoming races.

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“It’s frustrating in that you don’t want to have to consult a rule book on every single overtake or defence. All of these guys have grown up doing a lot of racing and understand the principles of that.

“I think it’s just important that we don’t overregulate into a point where you encourage a behaviour that is not within the guidelines and principles of motor racing.”