The Max Verstappen of old may have been extremely infuriated and unafraid to show that after receiving 20 seconds’ worth of penalties at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Dutchman was cautioned twice, once for forcing title rival Lando Norris off the track, and another time for doing effectively the same thing a few corners later. It may have felt unfair to him – as it did to Red Bull boss Horner, who decided to show data to the media after the race to prove that the stewards were wrong.

However, Verstappen accepted his wrongdoings and moved on with the incident quickly – something that he may not have done just a few years ago. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty ImagesGiedo van der Garde ‘loves’ Max Verstappen responseThe beauty of experience is that it can bring a certain level of calm to otherwise chaotic situations – much like Verstappen went through in the Mexico City Grand Prix with a 24-second pit stop at one point. He has honed his craft to a level where if his car isn’t in a position to compete, he will make sure that he makes life difficult for his rivals at least.

This Sunday round, it cost him, but he handled the aftermath and media furore well – something which ex-Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde was very impressed by when speaking on the DRS: De Race Show YouTube channel. READ MORE: Lando Norris points to Max Verstappen comments that have aged poorly after Mexico City Grand Prix“Horner of course really goes all out for his drivers, and he does that well. But this I would never have done this as a team boss [take data to the stewards after forcing a driver off].

“I just said listen, we looked at the data and this is what turned out in the end. That’s super super strong [Verstappen’s reaction]. I love that.

“You also know that Max just knows ‘OK, we’re fighting hard for the title. ’ He just knows that he has to pull out all the tricks to win the championship. ”Is Verstappen still up against it?

With a 47-point advantage and four races to go, most would consider Verstappen as being in a fairly advantageous position. The Dutchman can afford to finish third at every race between now and the end of the season, but he does have one extra consideration in recent weeks. Ferrari have come out of nowhere and are vying for the constructors’ standings – they have the pace to get ahead of the reigning champion and cause problems.

READ MORE: £800k-a-year driver now has ‘no chance’ of 2025 Red Bull seat after the Mexico City Grand PrixMuch like in Mexico, if there are two Ferrari’s and a McLaren ahead, it will leave the title very finely poised heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. One more victory would all but end the contest though – so Verstappen needs to remain on the ball and ready to pounce on every opportunity that he can.