Max Verstappen has acknowledged that his contentious incident with George Russell during the recent Spanish Grand Prix was improper. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner disclosed that the Dutch driver subsequently apologized to the team for the episode.
The collision occurred between Verstappen and Russell with just three laps remaining as they vied for fourth position. Contact was made at Turn Five, shortly after Verstappen had been instructed by the Red Bull team to let Russell pass.
Race stewards penalized Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty for causing the incident. This dropped him from fifth place to 10th in the final standings. The stewards also added three penalty points to his super licence, placing him just one point away from incurring an automatic race ban.
George Russell commented to Sky Sports F1 that Verstappen`s maneuver “felt deliberate” and was “totally unnecessary”. Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg suggested that Verstappen should have received a “black flag” for his actions.
Reflecting on the race and the incident, Verstappen posted on Instagram:
“We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, until the Safety Car appeared. Our tire choice for the end and some moves after the safety car restart increased my frustration, resulting in a move that was incorrect and should not have happened. I always give my all for the team, and emotions can be intense. We win some together, we lose some together. See you in Montreal.”
Christian Horner also shared his perspective on social media, explaining the strategic challenges and the aftermath:
“The Safety Car emerged at the least opportune moment for our strategy. We faced the choice of remaining on older tires or risking a new set of hard tires. With hindsight, it`s easy to judge, but we made the best decision based on the available information at the time. The outcome was frustrating because it seemed like an easy podium for Max and valuable championship points… Max apologized during the debrief for the incident with Russell. The SC also negatively impacted Yuki [Tsunoda]`s race; he was on track for points otherwise. But that`s racing; things can change instantly. It`s why we are so captivated by this sport. It was a challenging weekend, but we will work diligently in the coming weeks to improve the car`s setup and return stronger in Montreal.”
Following the result, Verstappen is now 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, who took the victory in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who did allow Russell to pass later on that lap, was reluctant to discuss the incident immediately after the race, telling Sky Sports F1: “Does it matter? I prefer to speak about the race rather than one single moment.”
George Russell commented on the incident to Sky Sports F1:
“I was as surprised as anyone. I`ve seen moves like that in simulator games or go-karting, but never in F1. In the end, we finished P4 and he finished P10. I`m not really sure what he was thinking. At the time, it felt deliberate, which was surprising.”
Background to the Incident
The events leading to the collision began when a Safety Car period, caused by Kimi Antonelli`s stranded Mercedes, bunched up the field. At this point, Verstappen was running third. Red Bull opted to fit hard compound tires on Verstappen`s car, as they did not have any new soft tires available, unlike most competitors in the top 10 who were on softs.
On the safety car restart, Verstappen experienced a significant oversteer moment exiting the final corner and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc, with whom he had brief contact. Russell then attempted a pass at Turn 1, leading to another touch, after which Verstappen cut the chicane to hold onto fourth place. Red Bull then issued the instruction for Verstappen to allow Russell through, a command that appeared to frustrate the reigning world champion further.
Commenting after the race, Horner addressed the situation and the stewards` decision. He noted the subjective nature of such incidents and Red Bull`s prior requests for clarification from the FIA. Horner explained the decision to instruct Verstappen to give the place back was made because a penalty seemed probable. Verstappen was reportedly upset by this, feeling he wasn`t given sufficient space and that Russell lacked full control. However, after discussion with his engineer, Verstappen ultimately yielded the position at Turn 5, which resulted in further contact between the two cars. Horner expressed disappointment that the stewards deemed Verstappen responsible for the collision, leading to the penalty and penalty points, and resulting in a minimal points haul for Red Bull from the race.
