Penalise Max Verstappen by deducting F1 championship points if his actions continue, contends pundit

F1 pundit Mark Hughes recently explained how Max Verstappen could be penalized more harshly whenever he uses his defensive tactics against drivers. According to Hughes, the deduction of championship points could be harsher than regular time penalties.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen locked horns yet again on Lap 10 of the 2024 F1 Mexican GP, with the Brit attempting to pass the Dutchman. He attempted to outbrake the Red Bull driver by going around the outside.

Verstappen, however, shut Norris out and prevented his move. Despite being driven off the track, the McLaren driver managed to pass Verstappen, just like he did in Austin.

Since Lando Norris was not slowing down to relinquish the position, Max Verstappen aggressively reclaimed it. The Dutchman finished the race in P6 after receiving two 10-second penalties for his aggressive on-track actions. Despite getting the penalties, he was not too anxious about them on the team radio.

Hence, Mark Hughes feels that heavier penalties should be levied on the reigning world champion.

In his exclusive column in Motorsport Magazine, Hughes wrote that the stewards need to bring out more severe penalties to curb Verstappen's on-track tactics. He said simple time penalties won't affect the Red Bull star and suggested that the deduction of championship points might force Verstappen to stop his aggressive tactics.

"The blatant tactics Verstappen reverts to in a title fight are not currently punished highly enough. A time penalty was not the appropriate or just action here. The stewards need a tool at their disposal as brutal as Verstappen’s tactics," Hughes wrote.

"So, for example, if he refuses to give any place back which has been gained or defended in this manner, why can they not then issue a black flag? If that isn’t harsh enough, then maybe it’s time that points can be deducted rather than seconds added. With four races left, a line needs to be laid down," he added.

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Max Verstappen is more concerned about Red Bull's race pace than the 20-second penalty he received in the Mexican GP

Despite receiving 20 seconds worth of penalties, Max Verstappen said he was more concerned about Red Bull's pace in future races.

Speaking to F1.com, Verstappen stated that since the penalties have already hampered his result, he is no longer bothered by them. Instead, he was worried about the race pace of RB20 and admitted that both Ferrari and McLaren were way faster than him.

"I mean at the end of the day, if you agree with it or not, it does not matter because the penalties are given. That's not my biggest problem in the race. Our biggest problem was that we just had no pace. We were struggling a lot on the tires, so couldn't really attack, could not follow Ferrari and McLaren."

As of now, Max Verstappen continues to lead the drivers' championship with 362 points, while Lando Norris is in second place with 315 points.