LEWIS HAMILTON stuck it to arrogant Max Verstappen as he was punished for ignoring Valtteri Bottas’ 120mph smash.
The Dutchman, who had provisional pole for today’s Mexican Grand Prix, was demoted to fourth on the grid after speeding past the Finn’s Mercedes, which had slammed into barriers.
And the FIA verdict gave a huge boost to Hamilton, who can win a sixth Formula One world title today if he finishes the race 14 points clear of Bottas.
In blatant disregard of F1 rules that state drivers MUST slow down if they see yellow flags, Verstappen admitted he ignored the warning.
The Red Bull driver said “I was aware Valtteri crashed” and when quizzed if he slowed, replied: “It didn’t really look like it did it? No.
“I think we know what we are doing.
“It’s qualifying, you go for it. If they want to delete the lap then delete the lap.”
But Hamilton, speaking before the punishment was announced, hit out at his reckless rival.
He said: “It’s really, really important the FIA are very, very strict with the double yellow flags.
“It is just being careless and not abiding by the rules.
“Luckily there was no marshal on the track. For all he knew, Valtteri could have been in the middle of the circuit and marshals could have been there.
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“That’s what double yellow means, that there could be a massive incident ahead.
“The drivers need to respect those things. The fact is he said he saw it. He saw the flags and decided not to react to it.”
Hamilton originally qualified in fourth behind Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel.
An FIA statement last night said Verstappen was shunted back for “failing to slow for a single waved yellow flag”, adding he could appeal the decision. Bottas is the only man who can stop the Brit winning the title.
He lost control in the final second of qualifying, slamming into a wall before hitting the barrier.
The Finn was unhurt but had a check-up before being given the all clear. Last night, his car was being examined by engineers after suffering “extensive damage”.
It could result in grid penalties if they discover problems with his gearbox or engine.
Bottas said: “At the last corner I went a bit deep and wider than I wanted.
“I just lost traction and went into the wall and at the end was a Tecpro barrier, which was a bit nasty.
“In the first few minutes I felt pain in my right knee. I think it was a nerve thing but it is all right now.
“We have had a debrief and the team are optimistic. There is a lot of hard work to do to fix the car.
“A lot of parts that usually get damaged in a crash are not, so we will be OK.”
Vettel said that, unlike Verstappen, he slowed down to respect the flags.
He added: “I had a mistake on my first run so I was quite confident on the second run I could make up for it, but it was a double yellow so I had to slow down.
“I would like to be further up but it’s a long race and we had the speed.”