Toto Wolff believes the penalties awarded to Max Verstappen in Mexico will prevent more aggressive manoeuvres in the future. The Mercedes team principal has explained why he is pleased with the outcome of last weekend’s incidents.
Wolff: Drivers will adapt to new rule changes
For the second weekend in a row, title protagonists Lando Norris and Max Verstappen went wheel-to-wheel.
Their first contact was at the end of Sector 1, when Verstappen lunged up the inside of Norris and forced him off. His second offence, more aggressive than the first, resulted in Norris taking evasive action in the middle sector.
Unlike in COTA, the FIA’s responded with a penalty for the Dutchman. Verstappen received two 10-second time penalties, essentially ending his chances of competing for a podium.
According to Toto Wolff, this was the correct sanction to apply:
“You know a driver will always push to the limit,” he told the media in Mexico.
“When the rules, or the execution of the rules… allow a certain way of racing, a driver like Max is always going to exploit it.
“I think now there has been a new interoperation and execution of those regulations, and I think it will change the way everybody races in the future.
“You won’t see that any more. I think this set a precedent now.
“And I believe that, from now on, you’ve probably got to leave space on the outside of the corner if the car is next to you.”
Moving forward, the stewards will be expected to use their verdict from last weekend’s incident as a baseline for future decisions.
Given that three teams are still contending for the Championship, the stakes are very high. More incidents are likely before the season concludes – which will warrant more tough decisions on racing incidents.
