Wolff - Not the most glorious week for FIA stewards

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Mercedes' Toto Wolff was left frustrated by the FIA stewards' decision to give Max Verstappen a free pass after the Red Bull driver got in the way of Valtteri Bottas in qualifying.

Bottas was on a flying lap in Q3 and encountered a slow moving Verstappen in the stadium section of the Mexico City track.

While the Dutch driver did move to the left of the track to avoid remaining in the path of the Mercedes, Bottas veered right and locked up as he entered the following left-hand corner.

"The incident with Max ruined my first lap in Q3; I just couldn’t get back to the normal line for braking," said the Finn after the session.

Stewards: 'No further action' on Verstappen after qualifying

"Before Turn 12 I saw him going slowly and he stayed at the exit of Turn 12 at the left-hand side.

"It definitely compromised my lap a little bit.

"I had to go run very close to him in Turn 12, so then you naturally lose time – and then as well my approach to 13 was compromised a little bit with the line.

"So it was not similar as going in the free air, or with no car in front. I had a lock-up in Turn 13, which I’m sure I would have not had without Max in there.

"So… yeah, it’s happened and there’s no penalty, so that’s history."

A week after the stewards' controversial call on Verstappen in Austin, the fact that no penalty was handed out to the Dutch driver in this instance left Wolff unimpressed.

"The last seven days were not the most glorious in decision making," the Mercedes motorsport boss told Autosport.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.