Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen deserved the 20-second penalty he was hit with at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Verstappen received two separate 10-second penalties for incidents early on in Sunday's race, which was won by Carlos Sainz.

Reigning Formula One champion Verstappen was given one penalty for forcing Norris off the track at Turn Four in the 10th lap, and then another for leaving the track four corners later.

It meant Verstappen saw his lead at the top of the driver standings cut to 47 points, while Ferrari are now ahead of Red Bull in the constructor standings.

And Norris has little sympathy for his title rival.

"It was not fair, clean racing," said Norris, as reported by BBC Sport. "I think he got what he had coming to him.

"I felt like I just had to avoid collisions, and that's not what you feel like you want to do in a race.

"He's in a very powerful position in the championship. He's a long way ahead. He has nothing to lose.

"It's not my job to control him. He knows how to drive. And I'm sure he knows that today was probably a bit over the limit."

The title rivals come together in Mexico

A recap of that battle between Lando and Max #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/bQaIaoCYOl

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2024

Norris and Verstappen tussled at Austin, too, but the McLaren driver wants to race clean.

"Austin, I don't think anyone should have got a penalty," he added. "Let's say we both kind of did things wrong. I feel like I was made to do something wrong.

"The majority of people, the majority of drivers feel like that was the same thing.

"That's why you've heard of some of the rule changes that might be coming and those types of things. It's because there's a common consensus that it wasn't correct what happened in the result that I had last weekend.

"Today, I think, was another level on both of those cases. I was ahead of Max in the braking zone, past the apex. I am avoiding crashing today. This is the difference. I don't see it as a win or anything like this, but it's more that I hope Max acknowledges that he took it a step too far."

"I go into every race expecting a tough battle with Max. It's clear that it doesn't matter if he wins or second, his only job is to beat me in the race. And he'll sacrifice himself to do that.

"But I want to have good battles with him. I want to have those tough battles, like I've seen him have plenty of times. But fair ones. It's always going to be on the line. It's always going to be tough with Max. He's never going to make anyone's life easy, especially mine at this point of the year.”