Max Verstappen received two 10-second time penalties after battling with Formula 1 title rival Lando Norris in the opening laps of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen forced Norris off the track in Turn 4 and in Turn 8 he went off the track and gained an advantage in the eyes of the stewards, handing him 20 seconds worth of time penalties.
“I was ahead the whole way through the corner,” an outraged Norris said over team radio after the battle with Verstappen.
“This guy is dangerous.”
Carlos Sainz leads the race, with Charles Leclerc in second, after re-overtaking Verstappen on the chaotic opening lap which saw Yuki Tsunoda crash out.
The RB driver collided with Alex Albon after the Williams driver was forced to move by Pierre Gasly.
As Albon moved over he made contact with Tsunoda which brought out the Safety Car on the first lap.
The incident cost both teams a crucial chance at clinching points in the midfield battler, especially RB.
With both Haas’ running still, RB are set to lose further ground on sixth in the standings.
The other Red Bull of Sergio Perez received a five-second time penalty for a false start for being too far ahead in his grid box.
Perez was starting from 18th on the grid and made up five places at the start of the race.
The Mexican driver also found himself in two scraps – first with RB’s Liam Lawson over 10th and then with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
Both incidents were noted by the stewards but no further action was taken.
Verstappen served his penalties on Lap 27/71 and found himself in ninth place as a result.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit has served up chaos!
READ MORE – Lando Norris denies need to change ‘whole approach’ to beat Max Verstappen
