Max Verstappen has taken responsibility for his disputed contact with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirming that Verstappen apologized to the team afterwards.
The incident happened with three laps left as they contested fourth place. Verstappen made contact with Russell at Turn 5, despite having been instructed by his team to allow Russell to pass.
Race stewards imposed a 10-second penalty on Verstappen for the collision. This dropped him from fifth to tenth place and added three penalty points to his super licence, leaving him just one point away from an automatic race ban.
Speaking about the clash, Russell described Verstappen`s move as feeling “deliberate” and “totally unnecessary”. Former world champion Nico Rosberg went further, suggesting Verstappen should have received a “black flag”, which signifies disqualification.
Verstappen commented on Instagram, stating that their race in Barcelona had a promising strategy until the Safety Car period. He felt frustrated by their tyre choice for the final laps and subsequent events after the restart, which led to the contentious move he now regrets.
“Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn`t have happened,” Verstappen wrote. “I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal.”
Christian Horner also shared his perspective online, calling the timing of the Safety Car unfortunate for their strategy. He explained they opted for new hard tyres, a decision made with the information available at the time, though acknowledging hindsight.
Horner described the outcome as frustrating, as it cost Verstappen a likely podium finish and valuable points. He confirmed Max`s apology during the team debrief and noted the Safety Car also negatively impacted Yuki Tsunoda`s race.
“Max apologised in the debrief for his incident with Russell,” Horner stated. “It was a tough weekend, but we will be busy working hard over the next weeks to make some set-up improvements to the car and come back strong in Montreal.”
Following the race, Verstappen`s standing in the championship saw him fall 49 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, who took the victory in Spain.
Verstappen, who did allow Russell past after the contact, seemed reluctant to discuss the incident immediately after the race.
He told Sky Sports F1: “Does it matter? I prefer to speak about the race rather than one single moment.”
Russell`s Reaction to the Incident
Regarding the incident, George Russell told Sky Sports F1 that he was surprised by Verstappen`s manoeuvre, having only seen similar actions in simulators or karting, never in F1. He pointed out the outcome was his fourth place finish compared to Verstappen`s tenth.
Russell admitted he didn`t understand Verstappen`s thinking at the time, stating the move felt deliberate and surprising to him.
Circumstances Leading to the Collision
The chain of events leading to the collision began when a Safety Car period, triggered by Kimi Antonelli`s Mercedes stopping, closed the field up. Verstappen was running third but pitted for hard tyres, as Red Bull lacked new softs, unlike other leading cars.
After the restart, Verstappen experienced significant oversteer and was passed by Charles Leclerc, with slight contact. Russell then attempted to pass Verstappen at Turn 1, resulting in contact, after which Verstappen cut the chicane to maintain position.
Red Bull then instructed Verstappen to yield the position to Russell, a directive that seemingly heightened the reigning champion`s frustration.
Christian Horner explained that based on recent incidents and anticipating a penalty, the team decided to tell Max to give the spot back. Horner noted Max`s annoyance, as he felt he wasn`t given enough space and that Russell wasn`t fully in control.
After discussion with his engineer, Max chose to let Russell by at Turn 5, leading to further contact. Horner stated the stewards` decision that Max caused the collision resulted in the penalty and points, a frustrating outcome given the potential for a podium.
