Max Verstappen out for redemption after double Mexican GP penalty

Max Verstappen has it all to prove as he continues his battle for the F1 world championship with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Which seems a strange thing to say given he has all the momentum and none of the pressure. Aside from Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham you will be hard pressed to find a more potent combination.

For weeks now he has been whittling a lead that was around 100 points from Piastri to himself down to just 40, including a dominating sprint and race victory at the US Grand Prix last time out.

But the Red Bull star arrives at the Mexico Ci...Mexican Grand Prix (sorry not dealing with silly GP names) with an itch that needs scratching.

FIA clampdown on Verstappen's driving

One year has proved to be enough time for a complete reverse in scenarios. Back in 2024, it was Verstappen under pressure and not at his best as McLaren and Norris chomped into his title lead he had built up like a squirrel's reservoir of nuts for tougher times later in the year.

But the pressure finally told on the four-time champion in Mexico. Trying to defend from Lando Norris into turn four early in the race, Norris looked to have lined up an excellent move around the outside only for Verstappen to push him off the track.

Norris ended up in front on the circuit, but not for long, as at turn eight Verstappen forced him off the track again after a divebomb down the inside, with Max also running out of road.

Norris was seething on the McLaren team radio describing Verstappen as 'dangerous'. The FIA agreed and for both moves Verstappen was handed a 10-second penalty - so 20 seconds in total, ruining his race.

Verstappen called the FIA decisions 'silly' but he really had no argument, his moves were reckless and while Red Bull made impressive attempts to defend Verstappen post-race, it was all really for show and to not upset Verstappen further.

Norris would go on to finish in second place, while Verstappen stormed through the field after his penalties to take P6. Ironically, if he stuck to the rules and allowed Norris to pass him fairly, the McLaren driver had a decent chance of beating race winner Carlos Sainz for Ferrari, with Verstappen likely to finish fourth. This would have been a worse result for Verstappen points wise - curiously justifying his actions at the start of the race. Which is a worrying thing to consider.

All or nothing for Verstappen?

It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself this weekend. Will Norris or even Piastri be just as desperate to prevent each other or even Verstappen gaining positions in the race?

Will Verstappen, knowing he only has five races to trim this 40-point gap, be just as desperate to maximise his potential points takeaway from a weekend.

Mexico can often produce a dull race when factoring in the majority of the grand prix, but the start always seems to have some spice to it. Verstappen has to buck the trend from last year and ditch the bumper cars.

Verstappen needs to now prove he has the temperament to deal with challenging moments on track rather than driving like he is playing the PlayStation. One year on from his nadir in Mexico, now's the time to turn that narrative on its head.

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