McLaren CEO Zak Brown did not hold back in his critique of Max Verstappen’s driving at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen, competing closely for the Formula 1 drivers’ title with McLaren’s Lando Norris, was labeled “dangerous” by his Red Bull rival after incidents in Mexico. The reigning world champion received two 10-second penalties during the race and had two penalty points added to his super license.
Norris finished second, with Carlos Sainz securing victory for Ferrari, while Verstappen dropped to sixth after a turbulent race, narrowing the points gap between him and Norris to 47.
This was the second consecutive week that tensions flared between Verstappen and Norris, with McLaren feeling frustrated after their U.S. clash. This time, CEO Brown was even more vocal.
“It’s getting a bit ridiculous,” Brown told Sky Sports. “I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. Let’s just move forward with good, clean racing.”
While Brown commended the stewards, saying, “I think they did a good job,” he noted that the penalties reflected the seriousness of the infractions.
As Norris gained ground on Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, the constructors’ championship has intensified. Ferrari’s consecutive wins, with Charles Leclerc triumphing in Austin, have propelled them past Red Bull into second, just 54 points behind McLaren in what has become a tight three-way competition.
In last weekend’s U.S. race, Norris lost a position to Verstappen after leaving the track during an overtaking attempt. Reflecting on the latest race, he acknowledged he anticipated a tough challenge in Mexico City.
“The first few laps were mostly about staying in the race and avoiding any crashes,” Norris shared, after raising his season tally to 315 points—his best to date, with four races still remaining.
“I knew what to expect,” he continued. “While I have a lot of respect for Max as a driver, I was prepared for something like this. In my view, it wasn’t very clean driving, but I managed to avoid any incidents, and it turned out to be a good race.”
During the race, Norris voiced his frustrations over the team radio, saying, “This guy is dangerous. It’s the same as last time, mate. I’ll end up in a wall soon.”