Lando Norris was embroiled in a battle with Max Verstappen at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix for the second race weekend in a row. Their controversial clash on Lap 10 of the race led to a heavy penalty for Verstappen, with the stewards handing him two time penalties totalling 20 seconds for forcing Norris off track and leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Verstappen’s driving was already under scrutiny leading up to the race in Mexico after he put up a forceful defence in Austin, although on that occasion it was Norris who received a penalty.

This led to a change in the driving guidelines used by the stewards to determine penalties, after consultation between the FIA and drivers. It is expected that the new rules will be fully implemented by the Qatar Grand Prix, but Norris was already fully exploiting them when he tried the initial move on Verstappen at Turn 4 in Mexico. In the aftermath of the spat between the pair, McLaren warned Norris when attempting to make another overtake work in a team radio exchange.

McLaren tells Lando Norris to only pass Max Verstappen if he can ‘safely’ do soMartin Brundle felt Verstappen’s move on Norris was ‘ridiculous’ as it forced both drivers off track, conceding position to the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. McLaren engineer, Will Joseph, kept Norris updated on Verstappen’s penalty situation as the steward’s decisions were made but also cautioned that he should only overtake the Dutchman ‘safely’ to avoid any potential race-ending contact. LapDriverEngineer12Joseph: Okay Lando the turn four one has also been noted.

And the turn eight one. So both turn eight and turn four are under investigation. 14And so far, Verstappen’s been given a 10-second penalty.

I’m not sure which one yet. 16Norris: “Pace okay I think, just dirty air. A little bit front-limited, high speed.

”Joseph: “Okay mate understood. We’re obviously looking ahead to the Ferraris so if you can pass Max safely, take it. ”17Norris: “Yeah.

At the moment my tyres don’t feel too good honestly. I think the pace is reasonable. Maybe not as good as the Ferraris.

”Joseph: “Understood. And Lando we think less graining than Friday and your tyres similar to the people ahead. ”By the time Verstappen had served his time penalty during his pit stop, it meant he dropped out of the points and was faced with having to recover back through the field.

The Dutchman worked his way up to sixth place before complaining about a lack of tyre grip in his Red Bull, preventing him from catching the two Mercedes drivers. Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images for HeinekenWhat Lando Norris has ‘changed’ when racing Max VerstappenOne of the main reasons why Norris was penalised in Austin was because his car was not significantly alongside Verstappen when he attempted the Turn 12 overtake. Norris is not usually an aggressive driver, but it was clear that things had changed when they reached Mexico and the title rivals battled on track again.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriendFormer F1 driver Jolyon Palmer explained that, in Mexico, Norris made sure that his car was fully alongside at Turn 4 when attempting the move around the outside of the Dutchman. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wants further clarity on the rules, after he felt Verstappen’s subsequent move at Turn 8 was acceptable and did not warrant another 10-second time penalty.