Jos Verstappen has dug out Red Bull after sanctions were handed out to his son Max at the Mexican Grand Prix. The world championship leader was reprimanded for forcing title rival Lando Norris off the track on lap 10, and four corners later was deemed to have left the track and gained an advantage.
He was given two separate 10-second penalties for the incidents, but still managed to finish sixth.
Norris was second, cutting Verstappen’s overall lead to 47 points, with the McLaren cars currently superior in pace with four Grand Prix races remaining in 2024.
Jos has been vocal with his criticism of Red Bull this season. And now he has argued his son has been forced to drive aggressively due to the current poor performance of the team’s cars.
“He has to do this because the car is not good enough and he is doing everything he can to win the title,” he told De Telegraaf. “But Max is not going to change his driving style because there were a few stewards present now who are not comfortable with him anyway.”
Verstappen Snr did concede that the second penalty at least was justified. However, he also warned that his son would not be changing his approach as he closes in on a third consecutive title.
“If you look at Sunday’s actions, Max’s second moment may have been a bit too much,” he added. “But he is letting this wash over him. You can talk about it for a very long time, but it doesn’t make any difference anyway. Max has to drive the way he wants.”
The 27-year-old himself also pointed the finger at the performance of the RB15, saying: “The biggest problem that I have is that today was a bad day in terms of race pace,” he said.
“That was quite clear again, on the mediums and on the hard tyres. The problem is that we are too slow, and that’s why I’m being put in those kind of positions. That was my problem.”
Verstappen and co will head to Brazil this weekend, with the Dutchman still on the brink of becoming a four-time champion. However, in the Constructors’ race, Horner’s team have now slipped to third in the standings.
It’s McLaren who currently lead on 566 points, 29 clear of Ferrari. Red Bull are now 54 behind the British team, with the race in São Paulo to be followed by Grand Prix’s in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
