Martin Brundle tells Lando Norris exactly how to get Max Verstappen banned at the Canadian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen enters the Canadian Grand Prix with 11 penalty points on his superlicence. If he picks up one more, he’ll be banned.

Under the rules, 12 points in the space of the year trigger an automatic one-race suspension. Verstappen will be on the precipice for the next two races before two of his points expire.

He earned three following last weekend’s Spanish GP after a controversial incident with George Russell. Some felt the stewards could have imposed a harsher sanction amid a debate over whether the contact was deliberate.

Verstappen was demoted from fifth to 10th at the chequered flag after a 10-second penalty. That saw him fall 49 points behind race winner Oscar Piastri, so missing a race altogether could be fatal to his ambitions.

Max Verstappen’s rivals told they should be ‘goading’ him into a race ban

Verstappen is an unfamiliar position as he looks to defend his title for the fourth year in a row. McLaren’s searing pace makes him the clear underdog.

The Red Bull superstar already regards the championship as a ‘long shot’, Martin Brundle says. He insists he won’t be any less aggressive at the Canadian Grand Prix.

But ‘subconsciously’, his attitude may be different. And Brundle thinks drivers like Piastri and Lando Norris should try and capitalise on the situation by ‘goading’ him.

It’s a risky strategy, but one that could end up knocking Verstappen out of the title race if it comes off.

“If I was a Mercedes, Ferrari and particularly a McLaren driver, I’d be goading him to get those extra points,” Brundle said on Sky Sports before FP1.

“I think subconsciously he knows he’s got to be a touch more careful, but I think also in Max’s mind, he knows this year’s world championship against two great drivers in a very fast McLaren is a long shot.”

Lando Norris pinpoints the one thing he must change to beat Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen

In an interview this week, Norris defended Verstappen’s driving style. He said the Dutchman hadn’t done anything ‘untoward’ in their on-track encounters.

Verstappen has earned four penalty points for incidents with Norris – two in Austria last year and two in Mexico. It’s unclear whether he’ll have the speed to contend with the McLarens this weekend.

Piastri carries a 10-point lead into the race after winning five of the first nine Grands Prix.

While he believes he’s the best driver in F1, Norris admits he struggles to deliver top form consistently. That’s the weakness he has to address if he wants to win his maiden title in 2025.