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Verstappen passed Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to
win the race after a safety car period ended in controversial
circumstances.
"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!," Williams driver George Russell, who
is set to join Mercedes in the coming season, tweeted.
"Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible
season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what
just happened is absolutely unacceptable.
"I cannot believe what we've just seen."
Former Formula One champion Damon Hill also criticised the
decision.
"This is a new way of running the sport where the race director
can make these ad hoc decisions," Hill said.
There was criticism from beyond the motor racing world too, with
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane saying the championship had
been taken away from Hamilton.
"I'm no expert on it but I feel like there's some bizarre rules
that give an unfair advantage like today? Why should Hamilton be
penalised for somebody else's crash?" Kane said on Twitter.
"He literally raced the perfect race under the highest pressure
and gets the world championship taken away from him. Shame it
had to end like that."
However, Verstappen's achievement drew praise from several
former drivers, with three-time champion Jackie Stewart
congratulating the 24-year-old.
"I think it's great that we have a new world champion, because
Lewis has had a wonderful run," Stewart told Eurosport.
"Red Bull and Max are very well put together and I think they're
going to be seeing considerable success in the future."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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