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

McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes that the two 10-second time penalties handed to Max Verstappen for his moves on Lando Norris during the Mexico City Grand Prix were “probably not enough”, with the American calling for “good clean racing moving forward”.

Norris had been chasing Verstappen in a fight for second place on Lap 10 when the Briton attempted an overtake around the outside in Turn 4. He was then pushed wide by his championship rival and subsequently ran across the grass, rejoining ahead of Verstappen.

READ MORE: Sainz surges to Mexico victory ahead of Norris and Leclerc as Verstappen hit with two penalties for Norris moves

When Verstappen tried to retake the position into Turn 8, both he and Norris went wide which allowed Charles Leclerc to pass them and move into P2.

With the stewards investigating both incidents, it was firstly announced that Verstappen would serve a 10-second time penalty for forcing Norris off the track at Turn 4, while the news followed a few laps later that the Red Bull driver would receive a second 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage through Turn 8.

Verstappen served his 20 seconds worth of penalties at his pit stop, which dropped him down the order before he worked his way back up to a final result of sixth. Norris, meanwhile, snatched P2 from Leclerc in the latter stages and thus reduced Verstappen’s championship lead to 47 points.

During a chat with Sky Sports F1 after the race, Brown was asked if he felt that the penalties Verstappen received were fair – or if they were enough.

“Probably not enough,” he responded. “I mean, it’s getting a bit ridiculous. I applaud the FIA stewards – enough’s enough. Let’s just have some good clean racing moving forward.

READ MORE: ‘I was ready to expect something like this’ – Norris offers take on Verstappen’s ‘not very clean driving’ after latest battle in Mexico

“Lando drove brilliantly, congratulations to Carlos [Sainz], he drove a brilliant race. That was an exciting race.”

In terms of whether he intends to speak further with the FIA about the topic, Brown suggested that this would not be necessary as he praised the stewards for their work in Mexico.

“I think the stewards are on it – that’s clear by the penalties they assessed, so I don’t think we need to do anything, just let the stewards do their job,” he added. “They did a good job this weekend.”

That issue aside, Ferrari’s strong result at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has seen them leapfrog Red Bull for second in the constructors’ standings – and the Scuderia are now only 29 points adrift of leaders McLaren.

HIGHLIGHTS: Sainz storms to victory in Mexico as Verstappen penalised twice in dramatic Norris battle

“It’s a lot tighter than I’d like it to be,” Brown said of the battle amongst the teams. “But it’s great for Formula 1, great to see Ferrari and McLaren are going at it for the world championship.

“Certainly can’t rule out Red Bull, they’re not far behind, but it’s going to be an exciting finish to the season.”