Verstappen fights in the World Cup duel: Schumacher past!

Verstappen fights in the World Cup duel: Schumacher past!

Mexico City (dpa)-Drama pure in Mexico! Max Verstappen, the three-time Formula 1 world champion, has lost clear points with a shocking double-time penalty in the heated World Cup duel with Lando Norris. From the meantime 15th place Verstappen fought in sixth place, but Norris had the muscles play in the McLaren in the McLaren and reduced his gap in the World Cup classification by ten crucial points. With four races in the season, the 24-year-old now has 47 points behind Verstappen.

But the excitement started before the start! Verstappen started from the second row behind the winner Carlos Sainz. After an early Safety car use due to two accidents, the Red Bull Pilot took the lead, but soon had to let Sainz and Norris pass. In a bitter duel, Verstappen pushed the McLaren pilot off the route, but the racing commissioners were not gracious. Two painful punishments of ten seconds each were imposed, which threw it back and favored the competition.

The shock after the pit stop bankruptcy

While the race progressed, another dilemma for Verstappen: A chaotic pit stop of his team! His mechanics needed 20 seconds to change the tires - an eternity in racing! Like a shadow of the past, he returned to the route as 15th, right behind his team -mate Sergio Pérez, who also disappointed in the home race. Under the pressure of the hopeful domestic fans, Pérez is now criticized more than ever.

The rivalry between Verstappen and Norris makes the World Cup more and more exciting! Rain could have mixed up the Situation again, but Norris did not want to wait for an uncertain turn and urged desperately to minimize the gap to the two leading Ferraris. With every race, the fight becomes harder, and the meetings between the drivers promise explosive scenes - in Mexico this was only the beginning!