Norris expected Verstappen's “not very clean driving” at the Formula 1 GP in Mexico

Lando Norris says he “knew what to expect” after Max Verstappen “didn’t drive very cleanly” at Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix.

A week after the pair battled hard in Austin, a duel for which Norris was penalized for overtaking his title rival off the track, Verstappen and Norris battled again in the early stages of the race in Mexico City.

Norris attacked Verstappen outside the left-hander of Turn 4 for second place, giving him the inside for the following switchback.

As in Austin, Norris was edged out by Verstappen, but as the McLaren driver was ahead at the apex this time, Verstappen was penalized. Citing the same racing guidelines that had dominated the conversation last week, race stewards handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty.

Verstappen then tried to get revenge at Turn 8 and overtook Norris again, causing both cars to shoot wide to the outside and forcing Norris to take evasive action. The stewards handed the Dutchman a further 10-second penalty for veering off the track and gaining an advantage.

Norris was vocal on team radio about what he considered Verstappen's “dangerous driving behavior” and said afterwards that he was not surprised by his title rival's actions.

“I knew what to expect. “I didn’t want to expect something like that because I respect Max a lot as a driver, but I was prepared to expect something like that,” he said. “That's not very clean driving in my opinion, but I avoided it and it was a good race.”

“The first few laps were all about staying in the race and avoiding crashes.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

McLaren CEO Zak Brown congratulated the stewards on their actions after the British team had been vocal about Verstappen's racing style for some time.

“Probably not enough,” he commented on Verstappen’s penalties to Sky Sports F1. “I mean, it's getting a little ridiculous. I applaud the FIA ​​commissioners, enough is enough. Let’s just have some good, mistake-free races in the future.”

When asked if he was satisfied with the FIA's response, he replied: “I think it's the stewards' turn. This is evident from the punishments they have imposed. So I don't think we need to do anything, just let the stewards do their job. “They did a good job this weekend.