Verstappen unfazed by criticism after aggressive battle with Norris in Mexico

SAO PAULO (AP) — Three-time defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said Thursday he doesn’t care about criticism of his racing tactics at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.

The Red Bull driver saw his championship lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris decrease to 47 points after a race in which he received two 10-second time penalties — one for forcing Norris off the track, and a short time later for gaining position when he left 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 in 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, won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the FIA also handed Verstappen two penalty points, bringing his total to six for a 12-month period.

Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a more distant shot at the title. He currently has 291 points.

Asked about criticism from 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill, who considered Verstappen to be too aggressive, the Dutchman responded: “I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion.”

Verstappen said he takes advice on his racing from “people who are close” and “with a good heart.” He denied that one of those is three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet.

Later, Norris told journalists 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 said “Max knows what he has to do” about 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, said a post-race meeting in Mexico turned out to be positive despite the differences between Verstappen and Norris. He also agreed that the actions of the Dutchman should have been punished as they were.

“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 said in his press conference that F1 is probably 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.”

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