McLaren CEO Blasts Max Verstappen Penalties - 'Getting A Bit Ridiculous'

McLaren CEO Zak Brown criticized the penalties given to Max Verstappen at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

McLaren CEO Zak Brown did not hold back in his reaction to Max Verstappen's penalties during the Mexican Grand Prix.

The incidents leading to the 20 seconds worth of penalties involved Verstappen in two altercations with McLaren’s Lando Norris. The first saw Verstappen force Norris off the track, which resulted in a 10-second penalty. Shortly after, Verstappen left the track and, in the process, gained an advantage, earning another 10-second penalty. Norris, who finished second, has now closed the gap to Verstappen to 47 points with four Grands Prix and two sprints left in the season.

Brown commented on the penalties after the race, stating:

"[The penalties were] probably not enough! It's getting a bit ridiculous. So I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough's enough. Let's just have some good clean racing moving forward. Lando drove brilliantly. Congratulations to Carlos. He drove a brilliant race. That was an exciting race!"

He confirmed his confidence in the stewards' judgment, asserting:

"I think the stewards are on it, I think that's clear by the penalties that they assessed. So I don't think we need to do anything. Just let the stewards do their job, they did a good job this weekend."

While McLaren is currently ahead in the Constructors' Standings, the competition with Ferrari remains intense, with only 29 points separating the two teams after two strong weekends from the Maranello-based squad. Brown acknowledges the tension, saying:

"It's a lot tighter than I'd like it to be, but it's great for Formula One. Great to see Ferrari and McLaren going at it for the World Championship. Certainly can't rule out Red Bull. They're not far behind, but it's gonna be an exciting finish to the season."

Whilst speaking during the broadcasted post-race interview, Norris commented:

"It was a very tough race. The first few laps, a lot of it was just trying to stay in the race and avoid any crashes. Carlos drove a very good race, so congratulations to him and Ferrari. I tried my best.

"I knew what to expect [with Max]. 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.

"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."