Three-time defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said on Thursday that he doesn’t care about the criticism he received regarding his racing tactics at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.
The Red Bull driver saw his lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris drop to 47 points after a race where he was given two 10-second time penalties—one for forcing Norris off the track and another for gaining a position after leaving the track.
Verstappen spoke ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
“It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing,” Verstappen said during a press conference at the Sao Paulo track. “I like to win. I don’t like to lose. I think not many people like to lose. I just tried to maximize the result and, like I said, some you win, some you lose.”
After Sunday’s race, which was won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the FIA also added two penalty points to Verstappen’s record, bringing his total to six within a 12-month period.
Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races remaining, while Norris has 315 points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a more distant chance at the title, currently holding 291 points.
When asked about the criticism from 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill, who thought Verstappen was too aggressive, the Dutch driver replied, “I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion.”
Verstappen mentioned that he takes advice on his racing from “people who are close” and “with a good heart.” He denied that one of those people is three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet.
Later, Norris told reporters at Interlagos that Verstappen “deep down” knows he made mistakes in Mexico.
“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but I have respect for him as a person and for what he has achieved,” the McLaren driver said. “It is not for me to speak to him. I am not his teacher, his mentor, or anything like that.”
Norris also mentioned, “Max knows what he has to do” regarding the incidents in Mexico. “He knows that he did wrong; deep down he does. And that’s for him to change, not for me,” the British driver said.
Mercedes driver George Russell, who is one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, stated that a meeting after the race in Mexico was positive despite the disagreements between Verstappen and Norris.
He also agreed that Verstappen’s actions deserved punishment. “If you read the rules, there are lines that say if you’re driving erratically or dangerously, you’ll be punished,” Russell said.
“You can argue that if a driver outranks himself and doesn’t make the corner on the exit, that is erratic because you’re driving off the racetrack. So there is an element of interpretation that for sure just needs to be cleaned up.”
Verstappen mentioned in his press conference that F1 is likely over-regulated.
“The rulebook is only getting bigger and bigger every single year,” the three-time champion said. “I don’t think that’s always the right way forward.”
