Verstappen was hit with two separate 10-second penalties for incidents with McLaren’s Lando Norris during the race in Mexico City, with the Red Bull driver’s conduct in wheel-to-wheel battle coming under scrutiny.
The first incident on Lap 10 saw Verstappen edge Norris off the circuit as the McLaren driver tried to pass him around the outside of Turn 4.
The second came just a few corners later, when Verstappen launched an aggressive move down Norris’s inside at the fast Turn 7, with both drivers taking to the run-off area and the Red Bull rejoining ahead.
Verstappen was forced to sit stationary for 20 seconds during his pit stop and ultimately came home sixth, his joint-worst classified result of the F1 2024 season.
Norris, meanwhile, finished second to the race-winning Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, reducing Verstappen’s World Championship lead to 47 points with four rounds remaining.
Writing in his post-race Sky F1 column, Brundle commented that he was “saddened” by Verstappen’s on-track conduct in Mexico – and he fears that Verstappen’s no-compromise attitude will ultimately harm how he is remembered in F1.
He said: “Max Verstappen took two 10-second penalties within four corners, and with decisions that clearly indicated a new firmness from the stewards, which is welcome.
“In Turn 8 [sic], unquestionably not a usual overtaking place, Verstappen, presumably feeling that Norris had passed him off the track, simply threw his car up the inside of the McLaren.
“He must have known this could have instantly taken them both out of the race but Norris was ready for it.
“It was another 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage, but frankly it could easily have warranted a pit lane drive-through for dangerous driving.
“It was quite a shocking move which took them both way off the track and allowed Charles Leclerc through for a Ferrari one-two at that time.
“That delay for Norris, and subsequently having to follow Verstappen until the Dutchman pitted on lap 26, possibly cost him victory given his pace in the final stages of the race.
“I know that Max doesn’t care what anybody thinks, but it saddens me when he drives like that.
“He’s a multiple champion, has more driving talent in his little finger than most of us ever had, but his legacy will be tainted by this sporting attitude and that’s a shame.”
Brundle’s latest comments come after he admitted to being “particularly upset” by Verstappen’s second incident with Norris, describing the Red Bull driver’s move as “ridiculous.”
Appearing on Sky F1‘s post-race coverage of the Mexican GP, he said: “The first one was rude and cheeky, the second one was just plain dangerous. That’s just about a full pit stop for a penalty.
“The second one I was particularly upset about. This [Turn 4 incident] is all the squabble over apex and outside and inside, and he simply didn’t leave racing room.
“This [Turn 7] is just a red mist moment – and actually a ridiculous moment.
“He’s just carried on the throttle and taken the pair of them off and I think he’s lucky he didn’t get a drive-through penalty or something like that actually.
“I’m so in awe of Max, and I hate it when he does that sort of thing, because he’s better than that. He’s too good to drive like that.
“I honestly think that was a short-fuse red mist.”
Asked if it came out of frustration, Brundle replied: “Probably. But I think it was all to do with the Turn 4, the previous incident as it were, and it cost him more dearly.
“But I think he’s carrying some frustration because he’s got the third-fastest car on the track at the moment.
“We know he’s feisty, we know he’s aggressive and that’s what you want to see in your Formula 1 racing.
“That’s what we’ve always enjoyed whether it was Senna v Prost, or Senna v Mansell, or Mansell v Piquet, all through the decades were about that.
“But then there is a limit and that second incident was way past the limit.”
