Max Verstappen was handed a twenty-second penalty during the Mexico Grand Prix 2024 for leading Lando Norris off the track with his defensive tactics.

This penalty follows a controversial five-second Lando Norris penalty in the Austin Grand Prix 2024.

After the Austin race, the FIA stewards rejected McLaren’s Right of Review Petition, concluding that Verstappen, as the defending driver, was not required to give Norris room to pass.

Max Verstappen has used this FIA grey area, a term used to describe the ambiguity in the rules that allows for interpretation, to his advantage his entire career.

Following the 2016 United States Grand Prix, the FIA clarified its rules regarding defensive driving, commonly called the Verstappen Rules.

These guidelines include:

• No Moving Under Braking
• Safe and Predictable Defence

An illustrative example of these rules being applied against Verstappen occurred during the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton executed a defensive manoeuvre against him.

The disparity in how these rules are enforced raises questions, particularly after Verstappen’s twenty-second penalty in Mexico. While some view the penalty as overly harsh, it also prompts speculation about potential agendas.

Following the contentious 2021 Championship, the FIA acknowledged human error in handling race regulations during the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The race director at the time, Michael Masi, was replaced after the late deployment of a safety car led to a disputed finish, significantly impacting the championship outcome of two drivers with 369.5 points.

The order of unlapping during this incident allowed Verstappen to close the large gap to Hamilton, leading to his dramatic final lap pass.

An additional lap with a safety car was not completed, nor was a complete unlapping.

Only five cars were able to unlap under the safety car.

Throughout the 2021 season, the FIA’s penalties played a pivotal role in the competitive and extremely aggressive landscape. A similar scenario unfolded at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hamilton overcame adversity to win. Had Verstappen faced penalties in Brazil akin to those issued in Mexico, the championship’s outcome could have been vastly different.

Max Verstappen’s unchecked aggression by the FIA would have cost Lewis Hamilton his life at Monza 2021 if not for the invention of the halo (followed by Jules Bianchi’s death in the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix).

This only resulted in a three-place grid penalty. In comparison, Pierre Galsy received a ten-place grid penalty for a new power unit, which almost every driver this season has gone over.

The complex relationship between the FIA and Lewis Hamilton has come under scrutiny, particularly regarding allegations of racial bias. As the first and only Black driver in Formula One, Hamilton’s success story has attracted both admiration and criticism, and the perception of differential treatment raises uncomfortable questions about the sport’s integrity.

Why, then, does Lando Norris receive this special treatment and not Lewis Hamilton?

Is there a desire to end Verstappen’s dominance in the same way as Hamilton’s dominance?

Or is there an underlying racial motivation for removing Lewis Hamilton’s eighth world title, which would have placed him above Michael Schumacher?

The FIA must provide clear and consistent guidelines on defensive driving. The Sport can not afford to have rules open to interpretation or manipulation to serve specific agendas.

Clear guidelines will ensure fair and transparent competition, reassuring fans and participants about the sport’s future.