- Max Verstappen received two separate 10-second penalties for the incidents
- Carlos Sainz raced past Verstappen after first-lap safety car pulled in on Lap 7
- Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship by 354 points to Norris’s 297
Lando Norris has railed against what he perceived as ‘dangerous’ driving after Max Verstappen made contact with him twice in four corners during a hectic opening to the Mexico Grand Prix.
The race started in dramatic fashion with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’s Alex Albon both spinning out after an untidy start.
Once the safety car pulled in, it took Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz just a couple of laps to speed past leader Max Verstappen using his DRS.
The Dutch Red Bull driver, leading the Championship by 354 points to Norris’s 297 before the race, then faced pressure from Norris with the pair clashing before the McLaren driver veered off the track at Mexico City.
Seconds later, the rivals resumed their bitter fight and, taking advantage of the commotion, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc nipped in to make it a team one-two with Sainz.
A furious Norris told his team radio: ‘I was ahead the whole way through the corner, this guy is dangerous. I just have to avoid a crash, I will end up in the wall in a minute.’
Verstappen then radioed his support team: ‘Mate what can I do with a empty battery? What is this stupid mode?’
The Red Bull man was handed two separate 10-second penalties, one for each incident, and later bit his tongue after hearing of the second, saying ‘that’s silly’.
Norris ultimately rose to second, just under four seconds behind Sainz to secure a crucial 18 points in the battle for the world title.
Meanwhile, Verstappen had to settle for sixth, meaning the Brit gained 10 points on his rival.
This left Norris on 315 points, 47 points behind Verstappen’s 362 as the drivers head into the final four races of the season.
Elsewhere, Leclerc took home third place, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell came fourth and fifth respectively to cap a solid weekend for Mercedes.
The show moves onto Sao Paulo next week for the Brazilian Grand Prix, before the drivers then have a two-week break.
