Verstappen’s actions were certainly controversial and have caused quite a stir in the Formula 1 community. It’s clear that his aggressive driving style has not only frustrated his competitors but also led to penalties that have impacted his own race results. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the criticism and whether he adjusts his approach in future races.
Let’s just have some good clean racing moving forwards.
Carlos Sainz won the race, with Ferrari leapfrogging Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.
The view from Norris and McLaren: ‘Too far’
For McLaren, it was clear they felt Verstappen was finally adequately punished for what was, in Norris’ words, on another level to anything else he had seen racing the three-time world champion so far this season. The stewards did a good job this weekend, added Brown, with the stewards set to meet with drivers in Qatar to discuss racing guidelines moving forward.
Norris said immediately after the race that he was ready to expect something like this after the drama of the USA, and continued to Sky Sports F1: I respect Max a lot in what he does, how he races, all of these things, and I look forward to having good battles with him.
I want to have them; it makes me smile and it’s what I love about racing and why I kind of do it in a way. But things like today, it’s a bit too far. We both could be out of the race, and I don’t think that’s how you should race. Maybe some people will disagree and say I’m wrong but I think today was a step too far and I think Max will know that, I hope, and we can then go ahead to just have some more clean, fair battles because I look forward to them.
He also explained how Verstappen’s – albeit weaker than pre-Sunday – title position affects his mentality. It doesn’t matter if he finishes first or second, he only wants to beat me. And he’ll sacrifice himself to do that, he said.