DPA
Mexico City
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won the Mexican Grand Prix from Lando Norris who took advantage of two 10-second penalties for Max Verstappen in their latest clash on an action-packed Sunday.
Norris cut the gap on Verstappen, who finished sixth, by 10 points to 47. There are 140 points up for grabs in the remaining four weekends.
A week after McLaren driver Norris was handed a 5-second penalty at the US race in a duel with Verstappen which dropped him behind the rival, the two were at it again in the early stages in Mexico City.
This time it was the Red Bull triple champion found guilty by stewards to have forced Norris off the track and of gaining an advantage for 20 seconds in total.
Verstappen had earlier beaten pole sitter Sainz at the start but the Spaniard reclaimed the lead and team-mate Charles Leclerc slipped into second during the Verstappen-Norris duel.
But Norris passed Leclerc with eight laps left to finish ahead of the US winner.
Verstappen recovered from dropping to 15th after serving the penalties to sixth in at least some damage limitation, behind Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Norris and McLaren hit out at Verstappen "I knew what to expect. I didn’t want to expect that kind of thing because I respect Max a lot as a driver, but I was ready to expect something like this. It’s not very clean driving, in my opinion, but I avoided it and it was a good race,” Norris said.
"I just keep my head down. I’m doing my best, we’re doing a very good job as a team and today we were probably quickest in the end. We’ll keep pushing.”
McLaren team principal Zak Brown told Sky TV of the latest clash: "It’s getting a bit ridiculous. I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. Let’s just have some good clean racing moving forwards. The stewards did a good job this weekend.” Red Bull lament penalties and pace Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko named the penalties "extremely harsh” and "an overreaction” in the wake of the Austin incidents.
But he also admitted that "we weren’t competitive” and that "we can’t afford another race like this again” in the title duel.
Red Bull lost second place in the constructors’ list to Ferrari who also closed in on leaders McLaren.
Their other driver, home hero Sergio Perez, was also handed a penalty, five seconds for a false start, as he finshed far off the points in 16th. Marko then named his future at the team "open.” Sainz delighted about win ahead of Ferrari exit Sainz meanwhile delighted in his fourth career victory before he has to give up his place at Ferrari for incoming Hamilton.
"I really wanted to his one. I needed it for myself. I said I wanted one more win for Ferrari and to do it here with this mega crowd is incredible,” he said.
The 24-race Formula 1 will now move to Brazil (Nov 1-3) and then to Las Vegas (Nov 21-23) before arriving in Qatar to be held at the Lusail International Circuit from November 29 to December 1. It will then head to Abu Dhabi for the finale (Dec 6-8).