Christian Horner stands by Lando Norris claim but accepts second penalty

Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner has stood by his defence of one of Max Verstappen’s penalties in the Mexico City Grand Prix, though he has accepted the other was deserved.

Title rivals Verstappen and Lando Norris twice clashed on the same lap while battling for position during the early stages of last weekend’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Verstappen saw his title lead cut to 47 points after he finished sixth, four places behind Norris, having been hit with a combined 20-second penalty for twice pushing the McLaren driver off track.

Horner presented telemetry data to media including Crash.net in his post-race media session in Mexico to defend Verstappen in the Turn 4 incident which saw his driver penalised, something he still feels was “very harsh”.

"I think you got a reaction, as I said last week, from Austin into Mexico,” Horner told Sky Sports F1 after practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

"For me, the first one [ at Turn Four] was still very, very harsh. I understand the second one but the first one was hard to understand.

“You can see the data afterwards, Lando came off the brakes and took extra speed. He braked later than his fastest lap. He carried a lot more speed and I really don't think he would have been able to stay on track.

“The problem with these rules... when you're on the outside, you're taking more risk. The corner belongs to the inside line. It's going to change the way these guys go racing.”

When asked by Sky Sports F1 pundit Damon Hill if Red Bull takes the view that some tactical ‘naughty’ moves are worthwhile if they come at the detriment of their championship rival, Horner replied: “Not at all. We want to go and race hard and fair and that incident, amongst others, will no doubt get discussed.

"Of course, what you also want as well is consistency. We saw several incidents similar to that, some went punished, some went unpunished. This is where the race director and the drivers' no doubt will sit down and discuss this because we all want to see a good fight to the end of the championship.

"Max wants it, we as a team want it, but the rules of engagement have got to be clear - and it shouldn't be overcomplicated. It doesn't need to be like a cricket manual for an overtake. They just need to keep it simple.”

Horner went on to deny suggestions that Verstappen may actively be trying to take advantage of a grey area which currently exists within the regulations.

"It's the instincts of a race driver. Max will always go for the gap, will always be hard at the apex of a corner,” he explained.

"Max has been racing for 20 years now and the inside line, going for the apex, he's controlling the corner at that point. That's what he would have done throughout his career.

“Now, I don't dispute the second one [in Mexico], but the first one for me is just hard racing.

"He is driving on instinct at that point in time and from all the experience you've drawn on on your earlier career, he's not thinking about a rulebook at that point of a braking zone. He's fighting to try and keep his position."