Formula 1 podcast: Max Verstappen penalised for doing a 'Lewis Hamilton', even as the latter escaped

FIA was sneaky in its ways to keep the shoey off the podium. We had an instance where three drivers were classified third at least once. Thank you FIA, for embarrassing Formula 1. And thank you (not!) for ensuring the shoey man doesn’t find himself on the podium, during the podium. Daniel Ricciardo’s shoey was missed in Mexico, but is it time for a new party trick? We’re excited to know what it could be and how he’s going to up that game! [caption id=“attachment_3082926” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Max Verstappen. Reuters[/caption] The Mexico Grand Prix will be remembered for the FIA’s inconsistent stewardship. One that saw Max Verstappen get penalty for doing a ‘Lewis Hamilton’, even when Hamilton himself didn’t get one. And of course, Sebastian Vettel realised that the only driver who gets away by doing ‘The Verstappen’ is Verstappen himself. What else did this episode teach us? Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have friends in the FIA, but Vettel certainly doesn’t. In fact, after his tirade of abuses, there’s little doubt there. Should Hamilton have received a penalty? Probably yes. Verstappen too? If Hamilton did, then yes, if not, then no. But Vettel? We think not! Are they over-regulating the sport by trying to curb natural instincts of a racing car driver? But we expect further sanctions on Vettel for dropping the F-bomb. A race ban? Or something far worse? Eventually, we hope that Liberty Media realises how bunching the teams up and making them compete impacts the sport. A Verstappen vs Vettel vs Ricciardo is exactly what the sport needs, minus the swearing, of course. Are Hamilton’s start issues a thing of the past? We’ll be glad, if they are. After all, blaming a clutch for losing the Drivers’ Championships sounds very lame. We’ve been talking about Nico Rosberg and his ‘match points’ as we near the end of the 2016 season. But since when did we start calling it a ‘match point’? This isn’t tennis! Is Verstappen a threat to Hamilton or Rosberg in the Drivers’ Championship? Are we the only ones fearing that he could crash into either driver in the remaining two races? He almost knocked Rosberg out of the race in Mexico! After witnessing the Mexico Grand Prix, we are forced to agree with Ecclestone’s idea on building walls to ensure drivers race within track limits. And Alonso was rated as ’the best Formula 1 driver’ in an impromptu vote between nine journalists. Eight out of those nine voted for Alonso, barring one. We will investigate who this journalist could be. And finally, will Ross Brawn return to save Formula 1? We certainly hope that he does. Because given the movements in Formula E, we definitely should be considering an Inside Line Formula E Podcast. Tune in!