Verstappen Penalized: Marko Claims FIA Overreaction

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko criticizes the FIA for imposing harsh penalties on Verstappen, suggesting a response influenced by the Austin incidents.

Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, accused the FIA of overreacting following the two “very severe” 10-second penalties given to Max Verstappen at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The reigning champion finished sixth and lost 10 points to his title rival, Lando Norris, involved in both incidents.

Verstappen received 20 seconds of penalties and two points on his license (6 out of a maximum of 12) for his two incidents on lap 10 while battling for second place with Norris.

First, he was deemed to have forced Norris off the track at Turn 4, then judged to have gained an advantage off-track at Turn 7, where he overtook the Briton.

The first incident bore similarities to what happened between the two in Austin, where Norris received a five-second penalty.

Marko was disappointed by the penalties given to Verstappen and believes that the events at the Circuit of the Americas influenced the stewards’ decisions.

“The penalties were very, very harsh. I think it was an excessive reaction to what happened in Austin. You have five seconds, and you have 10 seconds, but now we had two times 10 seconds, and I think it was very tough.”

“I especially think that the second 10-second penalty was a very tough decision, but you have to accept what the stewards do. Again, all these discussions about the Austin incident, I think they tried to set an example.”

Despite the heavy penalties, Verstappen lacked the pace to fight for a podium at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The Milton Keynes-based team has now fallen behind Ferrari, occupying third place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship, confirming a disappointing weekend for Red Bull.

“Unfortunately, it was very disappointing. We were not particularly competitive on both tire compounds, and our tire wear was also higher than that of our competitors.”

“And this may partly be due to the fact that we couldn’t run on Friday because of Max’s engine issues, but still, the difference was very significant.”

“We were not close to Ferrari in terms of speed, neither on the medium tires nor on the hard tires. And if you look at Norris’s times, especially at the end, it was incredible and out of reach for us.”

And a new penalty could hit Verstappen as soon as Brazil, one that comes with the introduction of a new engine.

“Friday’s faulty engine wasn’t intended for the race, and as an engine ages, its performance declines.”

“The penalty would be five places with a new internal combustion engine. It wouldn’t be as harsh in Brazil, for example, where overtaking is relatively easier. But we noticed that we were missing between three and eight km/h on the straights, so Sunday’s engine is probably at the end of its life.”