Martin Brundle calls out Max Verstappen's hypocrisy after corner-cutting controversy in Mexico GP

Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle has called out Max Verstappen for blatantly cutting the corner in Turn 1 on the opening lap of the Mexico Grand Prix. Brundle highlighted how, if another driver had done the same thing, the Dutchman would be "screaming on the radio" with complaints.

The opening lap of the Mexico GP saw four drivers side-by-side into the right-hander Turn 1. Verstappen, on the extreme outside line, had no chance of making the turn with three drivers on the inside. Moreover, his RB21 bottomed out on the curb, and he went straight into the grass ahead.

The four-time F1 champion masterfully saved himself from crashing into the barriers after losing grip on the grass and came out one position ahead in P3. However, he gave the place back to Lewis Hamilton in Turn 5.

The stewards didn't penalize Max Verstappen for the incident, which caused a stir among fans on social media. George Russell, who was in P5, also complained about it during the race, after the race, and again via an Instagram story with a clip of the race start.

Martin Brundle gave his opinion on the matter during an episode of the Sky Sports podcast, The F1 Show. When asked if Max Verstappen should've been penalized for cutting the corner, he said:

"100% yes. Max should have had a penalty, because if you put your car on the far left in four abreast, it will go on the kerb. But Max had no intention. You can see Max accelerate. Really skilful driving through the grass, I must say. But Max made no effort whatsoever to take turns one, two, or three, and that should have been a penalty."

After touching upon how the Mexico City GP race promoters need to alter that part of the track that is facilitating such moves, Brundle added:

"Max took the risk on the outside, knowing full well he could just bury the throttle and carry on. The sort of thing if the fireproof boot had been on the other foot, Max would have been screaming about on the radio, saying, 'He had no intention of making that corner'. He didn’t. I might even have given somebody doing what Max did, a drive-through, as a proper deterrent to stop the silliness, because then it all gets chaotic."

Charles Leclerc, who was in P3 and sandwiched between Max Verstappen on the outside and Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton on the inside, also cut Turns 1, 2, and 3. His case was more controversial because he had space to continue into Turn 1, but instead, accelerated through the grass and came out in the race lead in Turn 3. He returned P1 to Lando Norris but stayed ahead of teammate Hamilton.

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Max Verstappen jokes about 'rallying' on the grass after Mexico GP lap 1 incident

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen at the F1 Mexico Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen joked about his lap one incident that nearly ended his Mexico GP outing. The Red Bull driver explained how his decision to start on the medium compound tires, unlike most of his rivals, who started on the softs, made the opening part of the 71-lap race "hectic" for him.

In the post-race FIA press conference, he explained how he ended up in the grass after Turn 1, saying:

"I had a very good start. Then you just follow the slipstream—three-wide, four-wide. I mean, just following, of course, what the car next to you is doing. So I had to move left, left, left. And then at one point, of course, you're on the kerb, and then I started bottoming out on the kerb. So that was quite hectic."

Max Verstappen joked about his 'rally driving' in the grass that saved his race, adding:

And then a bit of rallying in between Turns 1 and 2. Yeah, that was quite fun. And then, yeah, got back onto the track, found my position again, and then actually, yeah, the first few laps were a bit hectic."

Max Verstappen was involved in another corner-cutting saga on lap 6, while he was battling Lewis Hamilton for P3. The stewards gave Hamilton a 10-second penalty for locking up, cutting through Turn 4, and gaining a 'lasting advantage' on his rival.

However, because the stewards hadn't taken any action against Verstappen and Leclerc's seemingly similar incident, it caused a row on social media. Hamilton expressed that he felt "let down" by the governing body for its "double standards." When Verstappen was asked about the whole penalty situation, he said it was "not my problem."