Christian Horner headed into his post-race media session armed with GPS data to illustrate his claim that Lando Norris divebombed Max Verstappen and wouldn’t have made the corner. For the second race running, Verstappen and Norris clashed as they fought for position but this time it was the Dutchman who was penalised in Mexico. Christian Horner backs up his claim with Lando Norris’ GPS dataAdditional reporting by Elizabeth BlackstockRunning second and third behind Carlos Sainz, Norris challenged Verstappen around the outside of Turn 4 but was forced off the track by the Red Bull driver.

He returned to the track ahead of Verstappen, and in a continuation of the apex debate, the stewards handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty for forcing Norris off the track. Three corners later they were at it again, this time Verstappen made a lunge into Turn 7 and forced them both off the track even though there was a wall just metres away from the run-off. Verstappen took second back in that tussle but the stewards ruled he had left the track and gained an advantage and gave him another 10-second penalty.

He finished the Grand Prix in sixth place while Norris was P2, taking 10 points out of Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Horner, who went into his media briefing with GPS data from Norris’ McLaren, claims the Briton divebombed his driver around the outside by braking later than usual to win the apex debate by getting his nose ahead to claim Verstappen had to give him room. “First of all, I think it was very harsh to give two 10-second penalties,” he told the media including PlanetF1.

com. “I think there’s something more fundamental; I mean, obviously there’s been a reaction to last weekend. I think it’s very important for the drivers’ stewards and the drivers to sit down.

“Because if I show you on the GPS, this is on the rundown to Turn Four. This is actually Lando versus Lando. “In Lando’s fastest lap of the Grand Prix, the point that he’s braking for Turn 4 and then obviously executing the corner.

On the lap there’s the incident with Max, he is 15 kilometres an hour faster and later on the brakes than his fastest lap of the Grand Prix. “He wouldn’t have made the corner, he would have run off track. You can see from his onboard steering.

Of course, at this point in the race, he’s got probably 80kg more fuel than at the point that he’s done his fastest lap. “So I think we’re in danger of… it used to be a reward of the bravest to go around the outside. I think we’re 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.

“You can see quite clearly, he’s effectively come off the brakes, gone in super late to try and win that argument, as far as the way these regulations are written, and then at that point, you’re penalised. ”More on Max Verstappen V Lando Norris at the Mexican GP👉Martin Brundle ‘particularly upset’ with ‘plain dangerous’ Max Verstappen👉Mexican GP conclusions: Verstappen own worst enemy, end feels nigh for Perez‘When you have to revert to an instruction manual of an overtake…’Verstappen and Norris’ latest clash came just days after the drivers met during their Mexican Grand Prix drivers’ briefing with the rules of engagement when it comes to attacking and defending one of the hot topics. It was decided that new guidelines need to be outlined and those could be in play at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Horner though believes the rules should be simplified, not compounded, by stating the driver on the inside line has the corner. “I just think we’re over complicating things, and when you have to revert to an instruction manual of an overtake… I mean the racing principles for years have been if you have the inside line, you dictate the corner,” he said. “And I think the way the rate the guidelines have evolved is encouraging a driver to have his nose ahead at the apex, irrelevant of whether you’re going to make the corner, because you can quite see it clearly see on the on the overlay of those two laps that Lando has hung out there to get that to get that advantage.

“So it’s something that just needs to be, I think, tidied up so that everybody knows what is acceptable between the end of the season, otherwise we’re going to end up in a mess at the upcoming races. ”Asked if F1 could be in for a serious incident if something isn’t done, such as a ‘guy dies’, Horner replied: “I wouldn’t go that far. “It just changes the principle that used to be the advantage was to have the inside line, the advantage will be to have the outside line and just break later and claim foul.

“So I think we just have to be very careful. The laws of physics would not have enabled Lando with a weight of the car – and look at the onboard, he wouldn’t have made the corner. “But I fear that we’re over complicating the principles of going racing trying to stipulate who’s ahead at what point.

The inside line historically has always had priority, because it dictates the corner. ”Christian Horner won’t request a right to reviewDespite the GPS data in his hands, Horner insisted Red Bull will not follow McLaren in requesting a right to review the penalties. McLaren did that after Austin but it was rejected as their request didn’t meet the criteria.

“We won’t activate a right of review on this,” he said. “I think the most important thing is to address what is the way to go racing going forward. “I’m not sure that it’s clear to the drivers, or certain aspects of it, that you’ve just got to have your nose ahead at the apex point, which means that you’re going to do this, you’re going to come off the brakes and carry speed to get to that point to say ‘I’m ahead of that at that point in time’, even though you wouldn’t have made the made the pass.

”He added: “It’s frustrating in that you don’t want to have to consult a rule book on every single overtake or defense. And you know, all of these guys have grown up doing a lot of racing and understand the principles of that. “I think it’s just important that we don’t over-regulate to a point where you encourage a behaviour that is not within the guidelines and the principles of racing.

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