UPDATE 1-Motor racing-Verstappen summoned to stewards after Mexico pole

Max Verstappen's Mexican Grand Prix pole position was thrown into doubt on Saturday after he was summoned to stewards for failing to slow for yellow warning flags. A spokesman for the governing FIA also highlighted comments the 22-year-old Red Bull driver made after Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas crashed on the final corner at the end of the qualifying session.

"I was aware that Valtteri crashed," the Dutchman told a news conference in a terse reply to a question about the incident. Asked whether he had backed off, Verstappen replied: "Didn't really look like it, did it? No."

Yellow flags warn drivers that they must reduce speed for safety reasons and be prepared to change direction suddenly. Verstappen was handed a three-place grid drop at last year's Russian Grand Prix for failing to slow for yellow flags in qualifying.

Asked about the safety perspective, Verstappen said: "I think we know what we are doing, otherwise we wouldn't be driving an F1 car. "It's qualifying and you go for it. If they want to delete the lap, then delete the lap."

His comments drew a firm response from Bottas's team mate Lewis Hamilton, who qualified fourth and could seal his sixth championship if results go his way in Sunday's race, when asked about respecting the flags. "I think it's really, really important that the FIA are very, very strict with the double yellow flags. There could be marshals on the scene," he told reporters, recalling previous incidents that raised safety concerns.

"He didn't even need to stay flat out, he'd already got pole basically. "Luckily there were no marshals on the track. For all he knew, Valtteri could have been in the middle of the circuit and marshals could have been there. That's what double yellow means -- could be a massive incident ahead.

"The fact that he ignored it, I mean it's not great, but it's done and hopefully the right calls are made and put in place. The drivers need to know to respect those things," added the Briton. Verstappen set his pole time with the first flying lap of the final top-10 session and faced yellow flags on his later second effort.

He has a chequered record with stewards, particularly in Mexico -- in 2016 he was demoted from third to fourth in the race after stewards ruled he had gained an advantage by leaving the track limits.