Max Verstappen booted from F1 podium after Sebastian Vettel rage

Ten years ago today, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel came to blows as they battled for the final spot on the podium at the Mexican Grand Prix.

In the late stages of the race, Verstappen was running in third place but had Vettel hounding him from behind, who in turn, was being chased by the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

Ahead of the trio, the race was being controlled by Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton was on course for his 51st career win ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg.

But the story of the afternoon was unfolding behind them.

On lap 68, Verstappen locked his brakes under pressure, cut across the grass through Turn 1 and Turn 2, and rejoined ahead of the Ferrari without giving the place back. 

Ferrari immediately told Vettel over the radio that Verstappen needed to concede the position, but he never did.

[Article continues below]

Vettel's radio rant

Vettel's frustration spilt over on team radio, as he demanded Red Bull's driver be forced to move.

"Move! Move, for fuck's sake! He's a bastard, that's what he is," Vettel said over team radio.

"He has to give me the position. End of the story."

When told the stewards would not act immediately, Vettel aimed his fury at race director Charlie Whiting.

"Here's the message for Charlie: fuck off! Honestly. Fuck off!"

Vettel also accused Verstappen of deliberately backing him into Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull, triggering wheel-to-wheel contact between the pair into Turn 4.

Verstappen crossed the line third and headed into the cool-down room, only to be pulled out before the podium ceremony once the stewards handed him a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage. 

That promoted Vettel onto the podium.

[Article continues below]

Penalty chaos and a late twist

Verstappen was scathing about the decision afterwards, drawing a comparison with unpunished incidents involving Hamilton and Rosberg earlier in the race.

"It is ridiculous,” he said. “I think that this is the same as in Turn 1. Hamilton exceeded the track limits and gained a lot of advantage. 

“Rosberg also went off track when we ran into each other and even he gained an advantage. If they don't penalise them, they shouldn't penalise me either.”

He also had a dig at Vettel's radio outburst, stating: "Sebastian just starts shouting on the radio, using very bad language. I think he has to go back to school or something."

Hours later, the stewards reversed the podium again, hitting Vettel with a 10-second penalty for moving under braking against Ricciardo. 

That dropped the German to fifth, demoted Verstappen to fourth, and finally confirmed Ricciardo as the true third-place finisher.

“For me he doesn't deserve to be up there with the move he pulled," Ricciardo said afterwards.