Jos Verstappen hints at potential Lando Norris conundrum with Max Verstappen's erratic moves in the Mexican GP

Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, touched upon the Red Bull driver's on-track skirmish with Lando Norris during the recently concluded Mexico City Grand Prix. Verstappen Sr., emphasizing the two championship protagonists' fight, opined that the McLaren driver might now become "more careful."

Verstappen and Norris were involved in another on-track scuffle this season in Mexico, the two drivers forcing each other wide, banging wheels, and risking their track positions. While Norris did not get a penalty this time, Verstappen was slapped with two separate 10-second penalties.

One penalty was for forcing a driver out of the track, and another for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Though Norris came out of the situation unscathed, Verstappen Sr. felt it might not be the case always, and as a precaution, the McLaren driver might change his style when going up against Verstappen on track.

Jos Verstappen told De Telegraaf,

"Norris may now be thinking even more: ‘I have to be careful.' If you look at Sunday’s actions, Max’s second moment may have been a bit too much, but he is letting this get over him.

“You can start talking about it for a very long time, but it makes no difference anyway. Max has to drive the way he wants. He has to do this because the car is not good enough and he is doing everything he can to win the title."

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris' latest on-track battle came exactly a week after they were involved in a battle on the track in the United States. The stewards had punished Norris with a 5-second penalty in Austin.

Despite the 20-second penalty, Max Verstappen finished the race in P6, behind the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Lando Norris came home in P2, behind race winner Carlos Sainz.

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Jos Verstappen questions FIA stewards' "conflict of interest"

Max Verstappen with his father Jos Verstappen. Source: Getty Images

Jos Verstappen, the former F1 driver, spoke about a "conflict of interest" after the latest on-track skirmish between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Verstappen Sr. drew attention to the FIA stewards' decisions after his son Max was handed down two 10-second penalties.

Speaking to De Telegraaf, Jos Verstappen said (via PlanetF1),

"Max is not going to change his driving style because there were a couple of stewards present now who don’t like him anyway,"

"The FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there, and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest. From former drivers, for example, who have more sympathy for certain drivers or [teams].”

According to de Telegraaf, one of the FIA stewards in Mexico, Johnny Herbert, is a former McLaren F1 driver, while another, Tim Mayer, is the son of the late McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer.

The two made up half of the four-man panel of FIA stewards at the 2024 Mexican GP.