Mexico City fallout: Hamilton fumes at ‘double standards’ as Brundle says Verstappen merited drive-through
Mexico City gave us a familiar first-lap scrum and an even more familiar Monday morning row. Max Verstappen’s off-track escape at the start and Lewis Hamilton’s late-race sanction have reopened the stewards’ handbook debate, and the paddock isn’t exactly whispering about it.
Martin Brundle, never shy of calling it as he sees it, felt Verstappen’s Turn 1 launch across the grass crossed more than just the white line. “Max should have had a penalty,” he said, pointing to how the Red Bull was placed far left in a four-wide squeeze before firing over the kerb. “You can see Max accelerate. I might even have given somebody doing what Max did a drive-through, as a proper deterrent to stop the silliness, because then it all gets chaotic.”
Stewards traditionally take a lighter touch on Lap 1, and Verstappen wasn’t alone in exploring Mexico’s generous run-off as the pack funneled through the opening complex. No action was taken against the front-runners who straight-lined the mess. That leniency became the hook for Hamilton later on.
Hamilton was handed a 10-second penalty for cutting Turn 4 and gaining an advantage in the race’s second half. His view? If the early chaos was deemed fine, why was he singled out once the dust had settled. “Ultimately, I feel very let down by the governing body,” Hamilton said. “It’s double standards, as you can tell. It is what it is.”
You don’t have to buy the conspiracy to see the contradiction. On Lap 1, the stewards often decide the concertina effect explains a lot of sins. After that, the book comes out. But the sport’s biggest names landing on either side of that line on the same afternoon was always going to ignite the powder keg.
The noise wasn’t confined to on-track calls either. Away from the circuit, the FIA’s internal politics spilled into public view. Laura Villars, a declared candidate for the FIA presidency, confirmed she has been authorised to summon the federation before an emergency hearing at the Judicial Court of Paris. Her grievance? How the FIA is handling internal democracy and the transparency of its electoral rules.
“I have twice tried to open a constructive dialogue with the FIA on essential matters such as internal democracy and the transparency of electoral rules,” Villars said in a statement. “The responses received were not up to the challenge. I am not acting against the FIA. I am acting to protect it. Democracy is not a threat to the FIA; it is its strength.”
It’s unusual, and it lands at a time when the governing body is already under heavy scrutiny from several directions. Whether the court move forces changes or simply hardens positions, the ripple effects could reach far beyond an election timetable.
Over in the boardroom that oversees Formula 1, a different kind of change. Liberty Media announced that its long-time chairman John Malone is stepping down, becoming chairman emeritus, with Robert “Dob” Bennett assuming the chair. “Founding Liberty Media and serving as its Chairman has been among the most rewarding experiences of my professional life,” Malone said, adding that with the portfolio “simplified” and the businesses “in strong positions,” now is the time to step back. It’s a passing of the baton that signals continuity more than upheaval, but it’s still a notable moment for F1’s commercial stewards.
Back in the garage area, one of the sport’s trickier chess games is edging toward a move. Laurent Mekies indicated a decision on the organisation’s 2026 driver roster will land before the end of the current season, with Yuki Tsunoda and the Racing Bulls pairing among those waiting for clarity. “We don’t think the distraction now is necessary,” Mekies told media, framing the delay as deliberate rather than dithering. “What is at stake is exactly what you describe. The parameters are exactly this. We are lucky enough, we are free to choose what we think we need to choose.”
Translation: the final seats in the Red Bull ecosystem will be chosen with one eye on the new regulations and another on the current points haul. Harsh, but that’s the business. For Tsunoda and company, the brief is simple—make the decision easy for the bosses.
So, after a weekend where the walls of the Foro Sol shook, the bigger tremors might have come from the offices. On track, the rulebook’s grey areas got a little greyer. Off it, the power structures around F1 flickered—some by choice, some by challenge. And as ever, the stopwatch will move on. The arguments won’t.
