Hamilton slams FIA’s 'double standards' following Mexican GP penalty

Lewis Hamilton admitted he felt “very let down” by the FIA after the Mexican Grand Prix.

Speaking to the media after a race in which he had been firmly in the fight for the podium before being handed a penalty following his battle with Max Verstappen, the Brit told DAZN: “Ultimately, I feel very let down by the governing body.”

The Ferrari driver also accused the FIA of applying double standards, pointing out that other off-track excursions had gone unpunished: “It’s double standards, as you can tell. It is what it is.”

The seven-time world champion’s race was heavily compromised by the ten-second penalty served during his pit stop, which dropped him down the order. Despite a late charge, he could only recover to eighth at the flag, missing out once again on what would have been his first podium with Ferrari.

Photo: RacePictures.

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At first, it was believed that the stewards had penalised Hamilton for his wheel-to-wheel battle with the four-time world champion — a misunderstanding even shared by his race engineer, as pointed out by former driver Karun Chandhok.

However, in the official post-race document, race control clarified that the penalty was not for the double close calls with Verstappen, nor for failing to follow the designated run-off route from Turns 4 to 6, but rather for gaining a significant advantage when rejoining the track without giving the position back.

That explanation was also backed by Jacques Villeneuve, who agreed the penalty was fully deserved.

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