LANDO NORRIS raged at Max Verstappen for “dangerous” driving after being forced off the track twice during an intense battle at the Mexico Grand Prix.
British Formula 1 driver Norris, 24, came into the weekend knowing he had just five races to make up a 57-point deficit to Verstappen in the drivers’ standings.
Sky SportsMax Verstappen squeezed Lando Norris off the track as he attempted to overtake[/caption]
LANDO AND MAX CLASH ⚔️
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Sky SportsVerstappen then pushed Norris off again and was heavily punished by the stewards[/caption]
Defending champion Verstappen took the lead of the Mexico GP in the opening lap, but was then passed by pole-sitter Carlos Sainz.
Third-place Norris quickly gained on his title rival in the Red Bull and attempted to overtake down the outside but was cut off by Verstappen.
Norris went off the track and came back on ahead of Verstappen.
The Dutchman then tried to pass Norris and in doing so pushed the McLaren off yet again.
Immediately after the incident, Norris told his team on the radio: “I was ahead the whole way through the corner.
“This guy is dangerous. I just have to avoid a crash. It’s the same as last time.
“I’ll be in the wall in a minute.”
The stewards did not punish Verstappen last weekend when a battle with Norris also saw the Briton run off the track.
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But on this occasion they looked at the incident and gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty for “forcing a driver off the track”.
They then added on another 10-second penalty for “leaving the track and gaining an advantage”.
Reacting to the incident, Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle said: “I had a feeling he would have something else coming his way [another 10-second penalty].
“The first one was rude and cheeky, the second one was just plain dangerous.
“That’s just about a full pit stop, for a penalty.”
After learning of his initial 10-second penalty, Verstappen sarcastically labelled it “quite impressive,” before his engineer claimed there was “a lot of whinging”.
The three-time world champion ended up coming into the pits and served the 20-second penalty in the paddock, before he returned to the race.