Hamilton praises stewards for penalty: "Good that they stick to the book"

Max Verstappen has picked up a five-place grid penalty for ignoring double yellow flags. His rival for the World Championship Lewis Hamilton praises the FIA for the penalty decision and links it back to his own foul in Austria. 

In qualifying on Saturday, Verstappen's former teammate Pierre Gasly stopped on the circuit with a puncture. As a result, a double yellow flag emerged and Verstappen failed to slow down. Hamilton gives his first reaction in a quote played on Sky Sports. 

"My only reaction is consistency is key. Look in Austria, I got a three-place penalty for a single yellow flag that I didn't see. Good that they stick to the book and focus on my job," Hamilton said. 

Hamilton from pole

Hamilton will start the first-ever Qatar Grand Prix from pole. He is pleased to be starting from P1 which hasn't been as common in 2021 due to Max Verstappen's pace. 

"I'm very very happy. It's a beautiful day and the track is amazing to drvie. I'm so happy with my lap. Qualifying hasn't been the strongest this year, they've been a lot faster than us so haven't been on pole much. It's just great to get back into the groove with a car feeling underneath me. Great work from the team and now we've got to deliver today. The first race here so got to work out where we can push. We're going to be learning as we go," he added.