Russell Criticizes Verstappen After Spanish GP Clash
George Russell said Max Verstappen “let himself down” after a controversial incident during the Spanish Grand Prix, where the Red Bull driver appeared to deliberately collide with Russell’s Mercedes.
Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty for the clash, which dropped him from fifth to tenth in the final standings. The result significantly hurt his title hopes, leaving him 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, who secured victory for McLaren ahead of teammate Lando Norris.
“Totally unnecessary and it kind of lets him down,” Russell said post-race. “I don’t know what he was thinking. It doesn’t really make sense to deliberately crash into someone—he risked damaging his own car and getting penalized.”
Russell added, “In the end, I’m not going to lose sleep over it, because I ultimately gained from it.”
Verstappen, when asked about the incident, responded dryly: “I’ll bring some tissues next time.” While he declined to go into detail, he conceded that the clash was “a misjudgement.”
In addition to the time penalty, Verstappen received three penalty points on his super licence, bringing his total to 11—just one point away from a race ban. He now faces added pressure to avoid further infractions in the upcoming races in Canada and Austria. If he steers clear of penalties through those rounds, some of the points will expire, easing the threat of suspension.
Stewards Cite Verstappen’s Sudden Acceleration in Russell Clash
The stewards ruled that in the Turn Five incident during the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen had “significantly reduced his speed thereby appearing to allow [George Russell] to overtake.” However, once Russell moved ahead, Verstappen “suddenly accelerated and collided with [Russell].”
Russell didn’t hold back in his post-race reaction:
“You cannot deliberately crash into another driver. We’re putting our lives on the line out there. Thankfully, the cars are incredibly safe these days, but that’s no excuse to take risks like that.”
He added that it was up to the stewards to judge intent, but stressed the need for consistency in penalties:
“If they believe it was deliberate, then a strong precedent must be set. Max is an incredible driver and a role model to many—it’s disappointing to see incidents like this continue to happen.”
Verstappen, who eventually surrendered the position later in the same lap, remained defiant:
“I have no regrets. In life, you shouldn’t regret too many things. You only live once.”
Race winner Oscar Piastri offered a more cautious response:
“I need a bit more context on what happened, but it definitely wasn’t a small touch. From what I saw, it didn’t look great.
Verstappen Voices Frustration After Race Incident
Max Verstappen and George Russell clashed during a dramatic final five laps of the Spanish Grand Prix, following a late safety car that turned the race on its head.
Up to that point, Verstappen had been on course for a solid third-place finish. He had challenged the McLaren duo using a three-stop strategy, while they opted for two. However, the safety car reset the race, and nearly all front-runners dove into the pits for fresh soft tyres. Red Bull, having already used more of their tyre allocation, had limited options.
They faced a difficult choice: keep Verstappen out on soft tyres that already had eight laps of racing on them or switch to either a worn set of softs—used in qualifying and for warm-up laps—or a fresh set of hard tyres, which most teams had avoided all weekend.
Red Bull chose the latter. Team principal Christian Horner later admitted that, in hindsight, leaving Verstappen out might have been the better option. Doing so could have temporarily put him in the lead. While he likely would have been overtaken by the McLarens and perhaps Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, he may have held onto fourth—ultimately one place higher than where he finished before his penalty.
Upon rejoining the race on hard tyres, Verstappen immediately struggled for grip. On the restart, he nearly lost control exiting the final corner and was quickly overtaken by Leclerc. Their cars touched slightly as they moved toward each other. Moments later, Russell passed Verstappen into Turn 1, with the two banging wheels.
Verstappen was furious, accusing Russell of forcing him off the track and expressing frustration about the contact with Leclerc. When stewards launched an investigation into whether Verstappen had gained an advantage by leaving the track, Red Bull instructed him to cede the position to Russell. Though Verstappen pushed back, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase reminded him, “It’s the rules.”
Horner acknowledged Verstappen’s frustration, saying the Dutchman was “obviously upset and annoyed.” He added, “We’ll discuss it internally.”
Verstappen, meanwhile, pointed to broader issues with Formula 1’s racing guidelines:
“The biggest issue is the rules,” he said. “What is allowed and what isn’t isn’t very natural. That’s quite frustrating. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it didn’t.”
According to F1 regulations, Russell was entitled to the corner, as he was mostly alongside Verstappen. The rules state that an overtaking driver on the inside must have their front axle level with the wing mirror of the car on the outside to be given space. However, the stewards cited an additional clause, ruling that Verstappen was forced wide because Russell had momentarily lost control of his car—giving Verstappen the right to maintain his line.
No further action was taken regarding the incident with Leclerc. The stewards noted both drivers had slightly converged in the middle of the straight, causing “a minor collision” but concluding that “neither driver was wholly or predominantly to blame.”
Leclerc explained:
“Max wanted to push me toward the inside where there’s all the marbles [used tyre debris], and I didn’t want to go too far into it. So I was trying to nudge him left. There was a little contact, but luckily, no consequences.
Great ones need to have world against them
Sunday’s confrontation between Max Verstappen and George Russell wasn’t their first—and likely won’t be their last. The two drivers have a history of tension dating back several seasons.
They famously clashed at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, trading public insults after Verstappen accused Russell of exaggerating an incident in qualifying to influence the stewards. Their rivalry had already flared up in 2022 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where another on-track clash led to more public barbs.
Following Sunday’s incident at the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen made it clear he had no intention of reconciling or even engaging with Russell. “I have nothing to say,” he told reporters.
It also wasn’t the first time Verstappen’s emotions have seemingly overridden his normally sharp racecraft. At last year’s Mexico City Grand Prix, he received two separate 10-second penalties for two incidents with Lando Norris—both on the same lap. On that occasion, too, he declined to engage with the media afterward.
These moments suggest that Verstappen’s intensely competitive nature—usually his greatest strength—can at times cloud his judgment, especially when under pressure.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff offered a pointed reflection:
“The great ones, whether it’s in motor racing or other sports, sometimes feel like the world is against them. But actually, it’s just that they’ve made a mistake. The real greats learn that difference.”
Sunday’s events could prove costly for Verstappen in what was already shaping up to be a difficult title defense. He’s up against two in-form McLaren drivers—Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris—driving what is now widely regarded as the most consistently competitive car on the grid.
Verstappen had been staying in the fight through sheer consistency and brilliance. His victories in Japan and Imola showcased his class: a stunning pole lap at Suzuka, and a bold first-corner move on Piastri at Imola that even Russell called “one of the best moves that we’ve all seen in a long time.”
Those wins had kept his championship deficit manageable—just 22 points heading into the Spanish Grand Prix. But his penalty in Barcelona, combined with McLaren’s 1–2 finish, has widened the gap to 49 points.
Before the weekend, Verstappen had already signaled low expectations: “It doesn’t really feel like a fight,” he said of the championship battle.
Now, with a misjudged move and strategy misstep compounding the setback, that statement feels more like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Pressed again after the race about the title fight, Verstappen replied bluntly:
“I never said that I was in the championship fight, first of all. Every race so far has been tough. When [McLaren] get everything right, they’re unbeatable. That’s quite clear this season.
