In the opening laps of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Max Verstappen received two ten-second penalties for pushing Lando Norris off the track. The reigning world champion finished sixth and said after the race that he would not give up easily.
His Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez finished last in his home race.
Max Verstappen (6th): “The problem is that if you are slower, you end up in similar positions. But I’m not just going to give up.
Ultimately, whether I agree with the penalties or not, 20 seconds is quite a lot! But still, the biggest issue that worries me today is race pace. He was definitely not good, and we have to analyze the reasons. Even without penalties, I didn’t get any chance to fight at the front.
I’m not worried about the title. We had a very bad race, but I know we can do better, so we will keep pushing for it.”
Sergio Perez (17th): “The start of the race was quite good, although I did get a penalty for taking the wrong position at the start. I was running tenth on the Hard tires when the Liam Lawson incident happened. He caused an incident and ruined the race for both of us. In addition, the side of my car suffered serious damage. This is where the race ended for me.
This incident could have been avoided and was not necessary in the eleventh round. The bend was mine, he left the road and just drove straight. I was surprised when I saw him, and at that point it was too late to react.
I’m not worried that this could be my last Mexico City Grand Prix. Next year I will be here and try to fight for victory because that is my dream.”
Source: F1 News

I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.