Damon Hill has accused Max Verstappen of letting himself down with his ‘dastardly’ driving at the Mexican Grand Prix. The Dutchman was involved in two major flashpoints while battling with Lando Norris and was heavily punished by the stewards.
Verstappen initially braked late and forced Norris wide as the McLaren driver attempted a move around the outside at Turn Four. Moments later, the Red Bull man launched a reckless dive down the inside of Turn Eight which saw both drivers run off the track.
After reviewing both flashpoints, the stewards threw the book at Verstappen by handing down two 10-second penalties, one for each incident. Two penalty points were also added to the 27-year-old’s licence, putting him halfway to a race ban.
Discussing what happened on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Hill insisted that Verstappen’s aggressive tactics were ‘daft’ and accused the reigning champion of letting himself down.
“I think he was right to get a penalty, whether or not 10 seconds was the right penalty, I don’t know, but I definitely think the second move he did was just daft,” said Hill.
“It was dastardly stuff. He just accelerated to the apex and prevented Lando from giving the place back. That’s what it looked like to me. He just accelerated through and drove Lando off the track. Lando didn’t really have much of an option and they actually did touch.
“That was silly driving. Max let himself down there, I think. He’s got such brilliance and clearly a massive competitive spirit but I don’t think it was something to be proud of, what he did there.”
Hill also suggested that former drivers should be invited to advise the stewards on certain decisions which could prove controversial or where it is difficult to decide on a punishment.
He explained: “If you’re a steward, you have to try and make a decision, but if there is a driver who is giving you feedback from years of experience and goes: ‘That’s really naughty, it shouldn’t happen’, it enables you much more easily to make a decision.
“You don’t have to go through the wording of the regulations because once you go down that road you are lost and you will be there forever. It will be like discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. You’re just going to go down the legal route.
“That’s where I think it has gone wrong. The more regulations you put in, the more loopholes you create. I think it’s a big can of worms.”
