Verstappen podium incident 'a shame for F1'

Former F1 driver Timo Glock has labelled the booing of MaxVerstappen at the United States Grand Prix as "incomprehensible".The three-time World Champion took his 15th win of the season and50th career victory after a challenging drive at the Circuit of theAmericas, battling brake issues having started sixth on the grid.But with a large Mexican contingent in the crowd supporting RedBull teammate Sergio Perez, Verstappen was met with a chorus ofboos during his post-race parc fermé interview and on the podium.The number of booing incidents in F1 has increased in recent years,largely directed at Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, depending whichside a certain race's supporter's demographic took from the 2021championship battle. Writing in his Sky Germany column, formerJordan, Toyota and Virgin driver Glock said: "Why Max Verstappenwas booed after his victory in Austin is incomprehensible to me."It may have been due to the issue between Sergio Perez and RedBull, but Verstappen had nothing to do with that. That's why Ican't understand it at all. It's a shame for the sport becauseVerstappen is an exceptional athlete who has delivered anincredible performance this year. In my eyes, that's an absoluteno-go, and it shouldn't be done." Hamilton and Leclerc disqualifiedMercedes driver Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc weredisqualified from their second and sixth-place finishes after theircars were found to have imposed too much wear on their plank skidblocks. "Of course, you always try to keep the vehicle height aslow as possible," explained Glock. "In Austin, the big problem wasthat the track was so uneven and the cars touched down very often."The two cars were apparently a few millimetres too low, which wasthe crucial point that the underbody was no longer within thetolerance range at the respective measuring points. "That canhappen when you push the envelope. Too bad for Mercedes andFerrari, but probably most annoying for Lewis Hamilton, which alsoaffects the drivers' championship against Sergio Perez.