Christian Horner warns F1 against flipping overtaking laws ‘upside down’ after Max Verstappen’s Mexican GP fallout

Christian Horner was unhappy with the standards of racing rules after Max Verstappen was dealt with the sharp end of the stick in Mexico.

Christian Horner warns F1 against flipping overtaking laws ‘upside down’ after Max Verstappen’s Mexican GP fallout

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (Via: Imago)

The Mexican GP was a race full of rollercoasters. However, the highlight of the race remained the clash between championship rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, which consequently earned the Dutchman 20 seconds worth of penalties. On the other hand, seeing his driver being thrown under the bus, Red Bull supremo Christian Horner questioned that the traditional racing laws were hindered at the Mexican GP.

With the massive 2021 title fight leading to multiple clashes between the two title titans, F1 and the FIA were asked to lay down stringent rules on racing wheel-to-wheel. This led to the formulation of current racing guidelines which laid emphasis on which driver reached the apex first. However, this rule had been played around within recent races as Max Verstappen gamed the system in Austin and utilized the rules for his benefit.

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On the contrary, this came to bite him back at the race in Mexico City. This time around, Lando Norris had his front axle reach the apex first, at turn 4, which earned the Dutchman a 10-second time penalty. Regardless of the sequence of events, Christian Horner questioned the integrity of racing under the current guidelines.

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It used to be a reward of the bravest to go around the outside. I think we’re in danger of flipping the overtaking laws upside down, where drivers will just try to get their nose ahead at the apex, and then claim that they have to be given room on the exit.

Christian Horner said (via Formu1a)

However, Horner would not have to worry about the racing guidelines for long. Drivers and the FIA are set to meet at the penultimate round in Qatar and will sit down to make much-needed changes in the racing rules.

Jos Verstappen speculated that Max Verstappen’s penalty was down to biases

While Horner emphasized how the spirit of racing was tangled, the reigning champion’s father, Jos Verstappen raised questions on an entirely different front. The senior Dutchman raised concerns regarding the biases that some stewards might retain due to their connections with different personalities.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Jos Verstappen (Via IMAGO)
Max Verstappen and Jos Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

The 52-year-old asserted that the FIA should conduct extensive background checks before staffing stewards. This was understood to be an attack against Johnny Herbert, who has close relations with Red Bull’s rival teams, especially McLaren.

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].

Jos Verstappen said via De Telegraaf

Despite his concerns, the governing body currently lacks the number of stewards that it requires. This has been the root cause for inconsistent rulings in the past, but the FIA has taken a strong stance in improving the condition in the upcoming years.