Verstappen ‘knows that deep down he did something wrong’

McLaren’s Lando Norris says title rival Max Verstappen “knows he did wrong” in their battle at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.

The Red Bull driver received two ten-second penalties for his actions in a battle with his McLaren rival.

Norris said: “Max knows what to do. He knows he did wrong, deep down he does. And it’s up to him to change, not me.

“Max is one of the most capable drivers on the grid, if not the most. He knows what he can and cannot do and what the limits are.”

Verstappen, who goes into this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix 47 points ahead of Norris with four races to go, says he finds criticism of his defensive driving “irritating” and does not pay attention to it.

This week, 1996 world champion Damon Hill accused Verstappen of “Dick Dastardly stuff”.

The Dutchman said: “I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion. I think I know what I’m doing.”

He added: “Some people are just really annoying. I know who these people are and I don’t really pay much attention to them. I’ve come so far in my career. Some people are just a bit biased.”

Norris said: “I expect a cleaner fight than what we had, but that’s not up to me.”

Verstappen’s racing tactics have come into the spotlight after two incidents in the last two races.

In the first, during the United States Grand Prix, Norris was given a five-second penalty for overtaking off the track.

That led to the F1 drivers discussing the incident in Mexico five days later, with many making it clear to the FIA ​​that they believed Norris should not have been punished.

That is because Verstappen’s driving contributed to the incident; the Dutchman, who defended his position on the inside, also left the track.

Then, during the race in Mexico, Norris went off track again when trying to overtake Verstappen on the outside, in turn four.

Although Verstappen remained on track, he was deemed to have forced Norris off the track and was awarded his first penalty. Four corners later, Verstappen forced his hand on Norris again, regained the position and was penalized for gaining an advantage by leaving the circuit.

When asked if he would do anything differently from now on, he said: “This is my tenth year in F1. I think I know what I’m doing.”

He added: “I have my opinions, I don’t need to share them.”

And when asked if he was happy with the race guidelines, Verstappen said: “It’s not that simple, not even how many seconds you get. Sometimes they work for you, sometimes they work against you.

“It’s never going to be perfect because even if you remove rules, if you get into a fight you want more rules because it’s not clear what is allowed or not, and if you have too many rules you want fewer rules.

“Do I think it’s over-regulated? Probably yes. In general, the rulebook is getting bigger and bigger every year and I don’t think that’s always the right way.”

Verstappen said he only sought advice from “people who are objective and close to me”.

And he also made a veiled criticism of the FIA, pointing out that although he had been punished for swearing at a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix, no action had been taken despite Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc doing the same in Mexico.

He said: “People who aren’t there just to stir… I can’t say the word and apparently it only matters to me. After the race someone swore and I didn’t hear anything about it.”

Verstappen will reportedly receive a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race, having taken a new engine after already exceeding his new allocation.

But he couldn’t confirm it, saying, “I haven’t heard anything yet. I know I’ll have to get one at some point, so we’ll see.”

Red Bull did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.