Red Bull chief warns that F1 is ‘flipping overtaking laws upside down’

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has slammed the penalties imposed on Max Verstappen at the Mexico City Grand Prix and warned that Formula 1 is making “a mess” of overtaking rules.

Verstappen’s bid for a fourth successive drivers’ championship suffered another blow on Sunday when McLaren’s Lando Norris cut his lead to 47 points with four races to go.

The Red Bull driver was hit with two 10-second penalties for forcing Norris off the track in consecutive incidents on lap 10 which the Briton branded “dangerous”.

Horner disputed the first of those decisions and urged F1 chiefs to return to more “sensible” overtaking guidelines for what is sure to be a hotly contested end to the season.

“It used to be a reward of the bravest to go round the outside,” Horner said.

“I think we are in danger of flipping the overtaking laws upside down where drivers will just try to get their nose ahead at the apex and then claim that they have to be given room on the exit.

“They need to get back to basics – if you are on the outside you will not have priority. Otherwise we will end up with a mess over these next four races. 

“I think it’s really important that the driver steward, together with the drivers, agree something that is sensible rather than what we are getting.”

It comes as F1 reviews its rulebook following a meeting with drivers in Mexico that followed a contentious penalty handed to Norris at the US Grand Prix a week earlier.

Norris’s second place behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took 10 points out of Verstappen’s title lead and was vindication for his “fair” approach, said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.

“Our conversation and internal reviews have always been very clear – Lando we like, we approve and confirm the way you go racing,” he told Norris.

“It is not for you to go there and try to find justice yourself. You go racing in a fair, sporting way like you do and then there needs to be a third party – that is the stewarding that will say whether some manoeuvres are fair or not.

“Don’t be desperate, you don’t have to prove anything. You go racing fair and square. That is what we want from Lando, that is what Lando wants from himself and I think it is important though that the team confirms that is what we want from you.”

Formula 1 heads straight to Sao Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos this week before a three-week break ahead of successive races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.