George Russell commented on the collision with Max Verstappen during the Spanish Grand Prix, stating that the contact “felt deliberate” and describing the move as “totally unnecessary”.
The incident occurred with three laps remaining as the drivers battled for fourth position, making contact at Turn Five. This happened after the Red Bull driver had been instructed to allow Russell to pass.
Race stewards subsequently issued Verstappen a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision, which dropped him from fifth to tenth place. He also received three penalty points on his super license, bringing him closer to a potential automatic race ban.
Russell told Sky Sports F1 that he was “as surprised as you guys were,” adding, “I`ve seen those sort of maneuvers before on simulator games and go-karting but never in F1.” He noted the final positions, “Ultimately, we came home in P4 and he came home in P10. I don`t really know what was going through his mind. It felt deliberate in the moment, so it felt surprising.”
When asked if the contact was intentional, Verstappen replied, “Does it matter? I prefer to speak about the race rather than one single moment.”
Red Bull had previously told Verstappen to yield the position to Russell following an earlier contact at Turn One during the Safety Car restart, where they touched wheels and Verstappen gained an advantage by cutting the chicane.
Verstappen eventually let Russell pass after their second collision. Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg suggested the reigning world champion should have received a `black flag` for the maneuver.
Responding to Rosberg`s view, Russell said it wasn`t his place to comment and that his current focus was on improving their car`s performance. He acknowledged that the Safety Car period mixed up the race order and stated that it was up to the stewards to determine if the incident was deliberate. Russell praised Verstappen as an “amazing driver” but expressed disappointment that “something like that continues to occur,” finding it “totally unnecessary” and seemingly not beneficial to Verstappen`s own race.
Christian Horner on Verstappen`s Frustration
Verstappen is currently 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, who won the Spanish Grand Prix.
Although Verstappen was reluctant to discuss the incidents, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner suggested that the decision to instruct Verstappen to give the place back contributed to the second contact at Turn 5.
Horner explained that the rules regarding such incidents are subjective, noting that recent requests for clarification from the FIA have not provided clear guidance.
He stated that the incident was reported to the stewards and appeared likely to result in a penalty, leading to the instruction for Max to return the position.
According to Horner, Verstappen was “obviously upset about and annoyed about” the instruction, feeling he was given no space and that Russell was not fully in control.
Horner added that after discussing with his engineer, Verstappen decided to yield at Turn 5, resulting in the contact. He concluded that the stewards deemed Verstappen caused the collision, leading to the penalty and points, which was frustrating as it yielded only one championship point from a race that should have been a podium finish.
Pundit Reactions to the Incident
Sky Sports F1 analyst Nico Rosberg described the contact as looking like “very intentional retaliation,” suggesting Verstappen waited for Russell and “rammed into him.” He called this “extremely unacceptable” and believed it should have warranted a `black flag`.
Anthony Davidson of Sky Sports F1 expressed confusion over Verstappen`s actions, particularly his slowing down after Turn 4 before seemingly deciding not to let Russell by. Davidson felt Verstappen carried excessive speed into the corner in a “divebomb” move, making hard contact with the Mercedes, and considered the move intentional, despite not blaming Verstappen for earlier events.
Naomi Schiff, another Sky Sports F1 pundit, saw the incident as related to temperament. She suggested Verstappen`s frustration over tire strategy and a prior incident with Charles Leclerc played a role. Schiff noted Verstappen appeared to believe Russell was at fault, concluding that “when you upset Max, the lion comes out.”
