SAO PAULO, Brazil — Max Verstappen has brushed off criticism of his driving style after he received 20-second worth of penalties at last weekend’s Mexico Grand Prix.
The stewards in Mexico issued Verstappen with two 10-second penalties for separate incidents on the same lap while he was fighting with title rival Lando Norris.
After the race, Norris labelled Verstappen’s driving “dangerous” while former F1 driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said the Red Bull driver risked “tainting” his legacy.
When it was put to Verstappen that he might need to make changes to the way he goes racing ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen said: “Yeah, I’ve heard that before in my career.
“It’s my tenth year in Formula 1. I think I know what I’m doing.”
Verstappen was penalised for forcing Norris off the track in one incident at Turn 4 in Mexico and gaining an advantage by leaving the track in a second one at Turn 7, when he left Norris no option but to run wide.
When he was asked if he felt justified in his style of racing despite the penalties, he said his main focus was on scoring the best results at each race.
“I think it’s just you win some, you lose some. That’s how it is in racing in general. And yeah, I like to win. I don’t like to lose.
“I think not many people like to lose. And I think, yeah, we just try to maximise the result. And like I said, some you win, some you lose.”
Former champion Damon Hill was among the voices criticising Verstappen after the race in Mexico, saying he was “not sure” if the Red Bull driver is “capable” of fair racing.
“I don’t listen to those individuals,” Verstappen said in response. “I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion. I think I know what I’m doing.”
Verstappen added: “You know, some people are just being very annoying and I know who these people are.
“I don’t really pay a lot of attention to them anyway and I think I’ve got to this stage in my career with the right people supporting me and making my own decisions.”
The FIA plans to consult drivers on racing rules in order to provide clearer guidelines to stewards on how to officiate over racing incidents.
Verstappen said there was no perfect answer, but believes the sport…
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