Verstappen penalties will change the way everybody races in F1

The double penalty that Max Verstappen was hit with in F1’s Mexico Grand Prix will change the way that all drivers race from now on, reckons Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Verstappen was handed two 10-second penalties in Mexico – the first for forcing Lando Norris wide early in the race, and the second for overtaking him off the track just a few corners later.

The incidents, and the stewards’ hardline stance, came just one week after controversy over Norris being handed a five-second penalty for overtaking off track at the United States Grand Prix after a clash with Verstappen there.

Verstappen’s aggressive defending in Austin, and his obsession with making sure he gets to the apex first at all costs because that is what the rules put an onus on, has triggered a push for a revamp of F1’s Driving Standards Guidelines.

But while that will not come until the Qatar Grand Prix, the way that Verstappen did not get away with such tactics this time out will be a game changer in stopping it becoming a common approach, reckons Wolff.

Having been on the receiving end of seeing Verstappen’s aggression up close during Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 title battle, Wolff senses that the Mexico decision could lead to a change in behaviour.

“A driver will always push to the limit and when the rules – or the interpretation of the rules – allow a certain way of racing, a driver like Max is always going to exploit it,” said Wolff.

“I think now there has been a new interpretation and execution of those regulations that I think will change the way everybody races in the future. You won’t see that anymore.”

Wolff thinks that laying down the law in demanding drivers do leave room for rivals on the outside is critical to helping deliver good racing.

“I always say that the drivers know exactly what’s happening,” he said. “You know when somebody is releasing the brake too late and just drags you into the corner, and pushes you wide.

“From the early days in go-karts, you know that you’re not going to survive on the outside if you’re not ahead. So I think the rules are pretty clear, and the drivers know that.

“Everybody’s trying to push that and, if you get away with things, that is the new limit. So will it change? Absolutely.

“I think now there is precedent, and I think there were others taking penalties in race too.

“From…