Formula 1 Special: Why Lessons Have To Be Learned From the Chaos of Mexico

Michael Schumacher, a double world champion chasing title number three, his first for Ferrari, was being reeled in at a rate of knots by Jacques Villeneuve, his chief challenger for the crown.

On lap 48, approaching the 'dry sac' hairpin, Villeneuve pulled out to the right, placing his Williams alongside Schumacher's Ferrari as they approached the corner. The German then pulled to the right, slamming into the Canadian's sidepod, causing him to slide into the gravel.

This put Schumacher out on the spot and secured Villeneueve's only title. The FIA frowned upon his antics, and he was subsequently disqualified from second place in the world championship, warning his fellow drivers not to indulge in his antics.

Fast-forward 27 years, and on lap 13 of the Mexico GP, Max Verstappen, seeking his fourth world title, came under attack from Lando Norris. The Dutchman produced two rash moves that kept his position but copped him 20 seconds' worth of penalties, dropping him to sixth at the checkered flag.

The incidents were yet another sign of Verstappen going too far with his defensive driving, promoting questions about his racecraft and the lack of consistency from the stewards.

But was Mexico the final straw?

The run-up to the incident

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The seeds of the controversial incident began one week earlier at the United States GP at the Circuit of the Americas.

With five laps to go, Verstappen, running third, was struggling on hard tyres, and with Norris in the DRS range, the Brit closed in. On approach to turn 12, the Brit, sensing his opportunity, despite being squeezed off the track by the reigning world champion, made the pass stick and quickly built a three-second gap between himself and the Red Bull.

Except he hadn't, as the stewards had deemed him to have left the track and gained an advantage, handing him a five-second penalty, dropping him behind Verstappen at the checkered flag.

McLaren disagreed with the stewards' decision and lodged a right to review the petition regarding the incident on Thursday during the Mexico weekend, but it was later rejected.

As a result of his penalty, the gap between Norris and Verstappen increased to 57 points, and it looked set to be extended when the Dutchman qualified second. To make matters worse, the reigning world champion jumped polesitter Carlos Sainz into turn 1 to take the lead as the safety car was called out following Yuki Tsunoda's opening lap shunt.

But once polesitter Sainz got back passed on lap 9, Verstappen looked vulnerable, and Norris quickly ate up the gap. By lap 13, it seemed a matter of time before the Brit breezed into second place and pursued the Spaniard.

However, Verstappen had other ideas. Approaching turn 4, he squeezed Norris off the road, forcing him to straight-line the corner, rejoining ahead of his title rival. The Dutchman tried again at turn 8, but both cars went off, narrowly avoiding the tyre barriers which would have ended their races.

Once again, the stewards were called into action and dished out two 10-second penalties that Verstappen would serve at his pitstop. Although he had the pace to charge back up to sixth, Norris' second place reduced the gap between the pair to 47, while the Dutchman picked up two penalty points on his superlicence.

Stewards' lack of consistency still a major concern

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Verstappen's pair of race-changing moves weren't the only incidents in Mexico that highlighted the lack of consistency in stewards' decision-making.

Not long after Verstappen had penalised Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, he tried to go one better by having two similar incidents at Turn 4. On lap 18, he and Liam Lawson made contact, and a lap later, he squeezed Lance Stroll off at the same sequence of corners but received no penalty for these contretemps. Yet Franco Colapinto picked up a 10-second penalty for slight contact with Lawson at turn 1, which, in reality, was nothing more than a racing incident.

These bizarre decisions are due to the team of stewards changing race by race, meaning consistency is impossible to maintain. It begs the question of how a sport as rich as F1 can have stewards who are volunteers and rotate race by race rather than having one set crew who goes to all 24. The rotation means one incident can be seen as a penalty in the eyes of one steward and may be seen as nothing more than hard racing by another.

The lack of consistency has been an issue since the tense title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen in 2021, when driving standards were allowed to worsen throughout the season.

It meant incidents like the chaotic 2021 Saudi Arabian GP where Verstappen brake tested Hamilton when supposedly giving a place back became the norm.

The weak penalties didn't help, and the saga of the safety car restart at the Abu Dhabi GP, which cost Hamilton his eighth title and race director Michael Masi his job, was the final straw for the FIA.

Since 2022, the FIA has tried to modernise stewarding with a VAR-style race control system to support the on-site stewards and fired Masi for Niels Wittch.

Yet despite these changes, Masi has found himself vindicated. The innovations have enjoyed little success, and the same issues persist two years after their introduction.

What needs to be done to prevent 2021 repeat?

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If, like in 2021, the 2024 championship is decided by stewarding inconsistencies, then something must be done about how drivers are penalised for breaches of on-track etiquette.

Simply put, time penalties that drivers serve at a pitstop or are added to their overall race times are not sufficient enough.

Historically, breaches of driving etiquette included a drive-through penalty for relatively minor offences, such as crossing the white line at the pit exit. The driver was then ordered to drive through the pitlane to serve a 'drive-through penalty' within three laps without stopping for tyres or fuel.

Then, there was the harsher penalty of a 10-second stop/go for transgressions, such as causing a collision or jumping the start. The driver at fault for the incident must stop at the pit exit and wait 10 seconds before being released back on track.

These penalties need to be brought back to send a warning shot to drivers to watch their aggression levels, potentially making racing cleaner.

The second change should be a permanent group of paid stewards travelling to every race to maintain consistency in decision-making. Any steward who makes a mistake gets replaced for the next race weekend but may return later in the season.

These suggestions will improve racing and increase trust in the FIA's decision-making when trust between the governing body and Liberty Media is at an all-time low.

Conclusion: Verstappen must be careful if he wants to win his fourth consecutive title

Without a shout of a doubt, Verstappen is one of the sport's all-time greats, but he risks damaging his legacy if he overdoses on the dark arts to secure his fourth consecutive world title.

The incidents in Austria and Austin were classic cases of hard racing escalating into an incident. But Mexico was a step too far and would have resulted in a serious accident nine times out of ten.

But how can rules be properly enforced when there is neither consistency nor severe consequences for crossing that tight line of hard racing and dangerous driving?

If the FIA has learned anything from Mexico, it must meet with the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and draw up a fresh list of guidelines for 2025.

Returning to Verstappen, he may have a 47-point cushion over Norris with four rounds left, but another incident will land him in hotter water.

If he keeps his nose clean and manages to stop the bleeding to Brit by consistently finishing in the top two, the title will be his. However, his work rate will be doubled if he is handed a grid penalty for causing an avoidable incident, pushing him closer to the 12 penalty points that trigger a race ban.

All great drivers know when to play offence and defence. The offence is doing those extraordinary things the average driver can't do, while the defence is not taking unnecessary risks and thinking long-term rather than short-term.

Verstappen needs to use this strategy to claim title number four. He can't afford to drive over the edge and drop any more points through penalties caused by aggressive driving. Plus, with the spotlight on his driving, the FIA may make an example of him for one risque move too far.

Dropping points in the next four races will certainly open the door for Norris, who has the momentum on his side and is potentially one win away from snatching his crown.

Verstappen will be aware of this fact and would be wise to slightly alter his approach to hold off the McLaren threat as best he can.