Christian Horner challenges the severity of Verstappen’s penalty, presenting Lando Norris’s telemetry as evidence to defend Red Bull’s position.
Christian Horner held an impromptu and unusual press conference yesterday evening in Mexico, addressing journalists.
The Milton Keynes boss arrived with… Lando Norris’s telemetry! The goal was to demonstrate that the penalties imposed on Max Verstappen (two 10-second penalties) were excessively harsh, particularly the first one.
Christian Horner first addressed the initial incident, which occurred at turn 4. Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen on the outside, leading to him being forced off track by the Red Bull driver.
The previous week in Austin, Lando Norris had also received a five-second penalty for overtaking Max Verstappen. But there was a significant difference: this time, Norris was level with Verstappen at the apex—a crucial factor in determining which driver was at fault.
However, according to Christian Horner, Lando Norris had pushed hard to reach the apex, positioning himself ahead of Max Verstappen at turn 4’s apex. Horner’s evidence? The McLaren F1 driver had approached turn 4 much faster on lap 10 compared to his other laps through the same corner—15 km/h faster, according to the telemetry displayed by Horner.
According to him, Norris managed to reach the apex first only by entering the corner at a speed too high to navigate it effectively.
“It was very harsh to give two 10-second penalties,” Horner stated.
“I think there’s a more fundamental issue.”
“There was a reaction to last weekend, and I think it’s very important for the stewards and the drivers to sit down together, because if I show you here on the GPS [Norris’s speed towards turn 4], you can see, with this orange line, it represents Lando’s best lap through turn 4 in the Grand Prix.”
“What you can see is that during the lap of the incident with Max, he is 15 km/h faster and brakes later than during his best lap of the Grand Prix.”
“He wouldn’t have managed to make the corner (during the incident with Max). He would have run off the track. You can see it in his steering inputs.”
“And of course, at that point in the race (compared to his best lap), he likely had 80 kg more fuel than during his best lap.”
Christian Horner (like Romain Grosjean initially on Canal+) also criticized Lando Norris’s overly risky maneuver on the outside.
Current F1 guidelines acknowledge that “overtaking on the outside is always considered a more difficult maneuver” and set out three conditions a driver must meet to be given space:
— Having the front axle at least aligned with that of the other car at the apex and through the exit of the corner,
— Executing the maneuver in a safe and controlled manner (entry, apex, and exit),
— Being able to take the corner while staying within track limits.
Horner argues that Norris did not meet these conditions. Moreover, if the FIA sides with the driver on the outside, “we risk overturning the rules of overtaking, where drivers will simply try to get their nose ahead at the apex and then demand space on the exit,” warns Christian Horner.
The FIA must take action and respond, according to Christian Horner.
For the Milton Keynes boss, the ball is now in the FIA’s court. He expects them to “clarify (the situation) so that everyone knows what is acceptable, otherwise we’re going to end up in a mess in the upcoming races.”
“It’s clear that Lando released the brakes and committed very, very late to try to take advantage of how these regulations are written, and at that point, you get penalized,” Horner explained.
Ironically, this was essentially the same reasoning that allowed Verstappen to avoid a penalty a week earlier. He braked late on the inside to gain the lead at the apex, enabling him to push Norris wide on the exit.
But Christian Horner doesn’t believe this comparison is valid!
“It’s slightly different,” Horner said. “Because obviously, both went off the track last week, and you can’t gain an advantage by overtaking off-track.”
“This time, it’s different, because Max did not leave the track.”
“This is something that really needs to be clarified for the future.”
“There are great races, and it’s just important that the rules of engagement are fair, rather than giving an advantage to the outside line.”
“In the history of motorsport, being on the outside has always been the most risky place.”
“Now, it’s almost an advantage because all you have to do is get your nose ahead at the turning point, regardless of whether you can make the corner or not.”
Red Bull will not appeal the first penalty
Unlike McLaren F1 in Austin, Christian Horner will not challenge the first penalty.
“We will not activate a right of review on this matter,” said Horner. “I think the most important thing is understanding how to move forward for the upcoming races, as I’m not sure this is clear for the drivers.”
Horner less supportive of Verstappen on Turn 7
Now, let’s address the second incident, the one at Turn 7.
Max Verstappen received his second 10-second penalty for a risky move on Norris a few corners after the first incident—regaining his position by going off-track.
This time, it’s “different,” according to Christian Horner. He believes his driver deserved a penalty in this case—a rare admission from the Milton Keynes boss.
“I think the Turn 7 incident is different. I think Max expected Lando to give the position back,” Horner said.
“He obviously went to the inside, and both deviated from their lines.”
“In theory, I can understand that by effectively forcing the car on the outside, there is a penalty for that.”
“But I think it was the frustration of maybe seeing that Lando hadn’t given the place back after this incident.”
For Christian Horner, spectators must be left with a headache, struggling to understand the situation. Simpler, more straightforward rules are needed.
“These things just keep escalating. I just think we may be overcomplicating things. And when you have to refer to an instruction manual for an overtake… I mean, the racing principles for years have been that if you have the inside line, you dictate the corner.”
“And I think the way the regulations or guidelines have evolved encourages a driver to get their nose ahead at the apex, regardless of whether they can actually make the corner.”
“It’s frustrating to have to consult a rulebook for every overtake or defense,” said Horner.
“All these guys grew up doing a lot of racing and understand the basic principles.”
“It’s just important that we don’t over-regulate to the point of encouraging behavior that doesn’t align with the guidelines and principles of motorsport.”
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