The heated battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris had a second chapter at the Mexican GP. After the McLaren driver's controversial penalty in Austin, this time it was the Red Bull driver who was penalized by the sports stewards.

We explain why Verstappen's 20-second penalty was applied correctly based on the analysis of the regulations, the telemetry of both cars and the TV recordings.

How Max Verstappen saw the red mist

After the safety car restart caused by contact between Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon on lap 1, Verstappen retained the lead he had gained from Carlos Sainz at the start of lap 1 with a classic “Mad Max” Maneuvers on the inside of Turn 1. vulnerable and without DRS, he would soon lose P1 again to Sainz with a great maneuver by the Spanish driver on lap 9.

Norris was soon on the back of the RB20, which had significantly less speed than the SF24 and MCL38. On the following lap, Norris took advantage of the DRS on the long main straight and managed to attack Verstappen again in the second DRS zone before braking at Turn 4.

The incident in turn 4

And here came the first controversial action on lap 10. Lando Norris attacked Max Verstappen on the outside in Turn 4. Although we cannot attach specific broadcast images for copyright reasons, we invite readers to view the action for themselves to understand the following explanation.

It's clear from the footage that Norris' MCL38 front axle is slightly ahead of Verstappen before, during and after reaching the apex of Turn 4. This was correctly interpreted by the stewards and is in line with driving standard guidelines for overtaking on the outside of a corner.

“In order for an overtaken car to leave adequate space to an overtaking car, the overtaking car must have a significant portion of the car adjacent to the overtaking car and the overtaking maneuver must be carried out in a safe and controlled manner,” while at the same time keeping the car clearly within the limits of the overtaking car can stay on track.”

“In considering what constitutes a 'significant portion' of overtaking outside a corner, among the various factors taken into account by the stewards in exercising their discretion, the stewards consider whether the overtaking car is in front of them.” from the apex of the curve. The overtaken vehicle must be able to negotiate the curve while remaining within the limits of the route.”

Norris was ahead at the apex despite overtaking on the outside and also gave Verstappen enough space to make his turn within the track limits. Verstappen, as a “defending car”, did not adhere to this final rule and therefore tried to avoid overtaking by “pushing another driver off the track”, which is punishable by a 10-second time penalty.

Furthermore, and this is the important fact, the race stewards were of the opinion that Norris could have carried out the overtaking maneuver in a controlled manner and without exceeding the track limits if he had not been pushed off the track by Verstappen. Let's analyze the telemetry to see whether this reasoning is correct or not.

Taking this into account, and in particular looking at the footage on television to see the racing lines of both cars, one can see that although Norris brakes significantly later – apparently to try to complete the overtaking – the braking is enough to get within the Stay within the limits of the route. Try the overtaking maneuver. He also gave Verstappen enough space to negotiate the corner without any problems.

But Max Verstappen applies 20% more gas at the apex exit to push away Norris, who has to brake twice to avoid contact with the Red Bull driver and ultimately has no choice but to miss the next corner. In short: the Red Bull driver forces him to exceed the route limits.

This is a correct interpretation of the maneuver by the stewards and a correct application of Annex L, Chapter IV, Article 2b) of the International Sporting Code: “Maneuvers that could impede other drivers, such as deliberately pushing a vehicle over the edge. “Going over the track or making any other abnormal changes in direction are strictly prohibited.”

Special mention goes to Norris, who quickly learned his lesson after the US GP. The McLaren driver reached the apex first, tipping the overtaking rules in his favor, and Verstappen fell into his own trap, avoiding the inevitable and earning a 10-second penalty.

The turn 8 contact

This maneuver is much less controversial than the first and easier to analyze. Verstappen was somewhat upset by the previous action and after seeing that Norris had captured the position, he wanted to regain it as quickly as possible and was extremely aggressive. So much so that his lack of coolhead at that point cost him another 10-second penalty.

Verstappen attempted a dive into Norris in the tricky Turn 7 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Let's look at the driving standard guidelines again, but this time regarding overtaking on the inside of a curve:

“In order for an overtaken car to leave adequate space to an overtaking car, the overtaking car must have a significant portion of the car adjacent to the overtaking car and the overtaking maneuver must be carried out in a safe and controlled manner,” while at the same time keeping the car clearly within the limits of the overtaking car can stay on track.”

Apparently the maneuver was not carried out in a controlled manner and, moreover, Verstappen regained position on Norris by exceeding the track limits in Turn 8 immediately after Turn 7. In other words, he “left the track and gained an advantage.”

A further 10-second penalty is imposed in accordance with Annex L, Chapter IV, Article 2c) of the International Sporting Code: “If a vehicle leaves the track for any reason, the driver may re-enter the track.” However, this may only occur if if it is safe to do so and there is no lasting advantage. A driver is deemed to have left the track when no part of the vehicle is no longer in contact with the track.”

Verstappen finished the Mexican GP in sixth place despite the 20-second penalty he served before his pit stop on lap 27, while Norris managed to overtake Charles Leclerc and finish second.

The British driver was aggressive enough at Turn 4 to cause Verstappen to fall for his own trick twice: firstly, by defending too aggressively, and secondly, during an overtaking attempt that was motivated more by frustration than logic , was too aggressive.

This means Norris shortens the Red Bull driver's lead in the drivers' standings by 10 points, but the Dutchman still leads with 362 points ahead of the McLaren driver with 315 points.

The season is approaching its final stages and the gap is still too big to expect a last-minute comeback from the British driver. But the battle, as we have seen in the last two Grands Prix, is still ongoing and “sharper” than ever before.

Read more: FIA stewards hand Max Verstappen a heavy fine after the latest collision with Norris