Max Verstappen has acknowledged that his contentious clash with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix was “not right.” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed that Verstappen had apologized to the team for the incident.
The collision occurred with three laps remaining as the drivers battled for fourth place, making contact at Turn Five shortly after Verstappen had received instructions from Red Bull to let Russell pass.
Race stewards subsequently issued Verstappen a 10-second time penalty for the incident. This dropped him from fifth to 10th in the final race classification and added three penalty points to his super licence, leaving him just one point away from an automatic race ban.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, George Russell described the manoeuvre as feeling “deliberate” and “totally unnecessary.” Meanwhile, 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg suggested that Verstappen`s actions warranted a “black flag,” which signifies disqualification.
Ant Davidson analyzed the collision between Max Verstappen and George Russell during the final laps of the Spanish Grand Prix from the SkyPad.
“We had an exciting strategy and a good race in Barcelona until the Safety Car period,” Verstappen wrote on Instagram.
He added, “Our tire choice for the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, resulting in a move that was not right and shouldn`t have occurred.”
“I always give my all out there for the team, and emotions can be intense. We win some together, we lose some together. See you in Montreal.”
Red Bull`s Max Verstappen had a controversial collision with George Russell near the end of the Spanish Grand Prix, resulting in a 10-second penalty.
Horner commented on social media, stating, “The Safety Car deployment came at the worst possible moment for our strategy. We were faced with the choice of staying out on older tires or taking a chance on a new set of hard tires.”
“Looking back, it`s easy to say what we should have done, but we made the best decision possible with the information available then. The outcome was frustrating because Max was on track for a straightforward podium finish and valuable championship points.”
Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman were competing for eleventh place, unaware of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen approaching from behind, and nearly caused an incident during the Spanish Grand Prix.
“Max apologized during the debrief for his incident with Russell. The Safety Car also negatively impacted Yuki Tsunoda`s race; he would have been much closer to scoring points, if not in them, based on his performance trajectory.”
“But that`s racing – things can change in an instant. It`s one of the reasons why we are all so captivated and passionate about this sport. It was a challenging weekend, but we will be diligently working over the coming weeks to improve the car`s setup and return strongly in Montreal.”
Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc reacted to the Max Verstappen-George Russell collision at the Spanish GP.
Verstappen now trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 49 points; Piastri won the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutch driver, who eventually let Russell pass later on that lap, wasn`t eager to discuss the incident after the race.
He told Sky Sports F1, “Does it matter? I prefer to talk about the race itself rather than just one specific moment.”
What George Russell Said About the Incident
George Russell`s comments to Sky Sports F1 regarding the incident:
“I was just as surprised as everyone else. I`ve seen similar maneuvers in racing simulator games and go-karting, but never in Formula 1.”
“Ultimately, we finished in fourth place, and he finished 10th. I`m not really sure what he was thinking.”
“In the moment, it felt deliberate, which was surprising.”
Lando Norris`s reaction to the Max Verstappen-George Russell collision at the Spanish GP.
Background: What Led to the Verstappen-Russell Collision?
Verstappen was positioned to finish third, behind the two McLarens, until a Safety Car period, triggered by Kimi Antonelli`s stopped Mercedes, compressed the field.
Red Bull fitted Verstappen with hard tires, as they had no other new tire options available, while most other drivers in the top 10 opted for soft tires.
On the Safety Car restart, Verstappen experienced a significant oversteer moment exiting the final corner and was overtaken by Charles Leclerc, with whom he briefly made contact.
Mercedes driver George Russell and Red Bull`s Max Verstappen shared their perspectives after colliding during Sunday`s race.
Russell also attempted a pass at Turn 1, resulting in the cars touching. Verstappen cut the chicane, maintaining fourth position initially.
Red Bull instructed Verstappen to allow Russell to pass, a directive that seemingly annoyed the reigning world champion, who was already feeling frustrated.
“Based on recent experience and looking at recent incidents, it`s obviously subjective,” Horner commented after the race. “We had asked for guidance from the FIA, from the referee, and essentially received no clarification beforehand.”
“You could see the incident had been reported. It was going to the stewards. To all appearances, it looked like a penalty was inevitable.”
Highlights from the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“Consequently, Max was instructed to give the position back. He was clearly upset and annoyed because he felt two things: firstly, that he wasn`t given enough space, and secondly, that George wasn`t fully in control of his car.”
“Following a discussion with his engineer, he chose to yield the position at Turn 5. There was contact between the two cars at that point.”
“Evidently, the stewards decided he was responsible for causing a collision and issued a 10-second penalty along with some penalty points, unfortunately. This was very frustrating, as it left us with only one point from the race, which should have resulted in an easy podium finish.”
Gilbert Pendleton