Did Max Verstappen get off lightly? A poll. Plus, a fix for the Monaco GP

New York Times

21 hours ago

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Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we're basking in the glow of our largest ever response to a poll on this newsletter. Or so Patrick tells me, at any rate.
We could already see in our numbers on The Athletic pretty much instantly after the Spanish Grand Prix that interest in Max Verstappen's latest controversy was high, so on Tuesday, we offered our PT subscribers the chance to have their say on the fallout.
The results are in, and they make for tough reading for both Verstappen and FIA officials. I'm Alex, and Madeline Coleman will be along later.
Our survey asked if Verstappen's 10-second penalty for colliding with George Russell late in Barcelona, which, with the Dutchman's non-apology apology a day later, all but confirmed was a deliberate move, was an appropriate sanction.
There were three options to vote — in agreement, that it was too lenient, or too harsh.
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All told, 93.4 percent of you were in agreement that Verstappen's move merited a penalty, with the other 6.6 percent feeling his sanction was actually too harsh.
But the bigger story is that 81.4 percent of those who thought Verstappen deserved a penalty felt the 10-second penalty didn't go far enough. In our request to explain your votes, the words 'disqualified,' 'black flag,' and 'ban' came up repeatedly.
Here's a selection of that feedback:
Given Verstappen will be on the verge of a race ban until after the next two races, this topic isn't going to go away any time soon. And if something similar occurs again, as one high-profile paddock figure told me this week, a precedent has now been firmly set.
And now, to something else that has been much discussed in recent weeks.
Please bear with me, but I needed to get this out there before the F1 Commission discusses the failed Monaco-specific race rules at its next meeting. Luke Smith recently revealed that this is scheduled for the gap between July's upcoming Silverstone and Spa races.
Obviously, the team principal and senior officials who make up that panel are readers. (Ed. note: Unlikely.)
Anyway, while listening to an episode of The Race's excellent 'Bring Back V10s' podcast on the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix, the moment where Gerhard Berger dived into the pits and transformed his race got me thinking. That all came from the then-Ferrari driver changing tires and going on a charge that took Berger past his teammate, Jean Alesi, and into a podium fight in the race, where the win eventually went to Ayrton Senna — before he tangled with Williams driver Damon Hill and retired.
And this is how I think F1 can resolve its Racing Bulls and Williams-botched Monaco-specific racing rules.
Here goes:
My thinking (yes, there was some) is that this approach would increase the likelihood of pitstop shambles (a la Red Bull in the 2016 Monaco GP) and also makes things (slightly) more meritocratic.
I can't deny it's contrived, but it's basically a more sporting version of the chicane-cutting joker lap George Russell suggested the drivers take anyway, as it would get them out of traffic twice in the race and mean they're potentially pushing to overtake rivals via the pits.
Stefano Domenicali, Mohammed Ben Sulayem — I'm available for your call to discuss implementing this at any time.
Earlier this week, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team announced its first official partnership: Tommy Hilfiger.
The iconic New York fashion house's F1 ties date back to the 1990s, when it sponsored Team Lotus. What may surprise some F1 fans is that Lawrence Stroll, now the owner of Aston Martin's F1 team, helped bring the American designer to the pinnacle of motorsport. From there, Hilfiger's involvement in the space grew, launching a motorsports-inspired capsule collection with Team Lotus' colors in 1994 and later becoming Ferrari's clothing sponsor in 1998.
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The brand's most recent involvement in F1 was a partnership with Mercedes' F1 team (which ended in 2024) and F1 Academy. Hilfiger currently supports Alba Larsen (above, left, Tommy Hilfiger) in the all-women's racing series. It has also put its name into the upcoming F1 movie and launched The APXGP Collection this week, the same day the Cadillac partnership was announced.
Plenty of buzz surrounded Cadillac since it received approval to be the 11th team on the grid next year, particularly as rumors brew about its driver lineup. One thing that the team has made clear is that it will be an American team, operating under an American license, and this multiyear partnership with Tommy Hilfiger, as Cadillac's apparel partner and lifestyle sponsor, only strengthens those ties.
'Tommy Hilfiger is an American original, and we're proud to welcome them as our first official partner,'' said Dan Towriss, CEO of Cadillac Formula 1 Team, in the announcement. 'This collaboration represents the fusion of two bold, innovative brands — where performance meets iconic style. As we build a team that reflects American ambition on the global F1 stage, this partnership sets the tone for what's ahead.'
While Hilfiger is a well-known name within the F1 world, what jumped out to me during my conversation with Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon during the Miami GP weekend last month is that there are a number of brands interested in partnering with the new squad. They're both well-known organizations, and 'a lot that are new to Formula One, so that suggests that we're offering something new' – per Lowdon.
'What will happen to the grass?'
This was, naturally, the first question we asked when the news that a Red Bull F1 car had been pitched (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??) into a race against three Leeds United players at their Elland Road stadium. Well, it turns out, very little.
The RB7, driven by Red Bull junior driver and Formula Two racer Arvid Lindblad, skipped between the penalty areas — bar some start wheelspin that would put Lando Norris to shame, and needing a very wide, slow, turning circle at half distance.
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But it didn't churn up the turf, which probably had plenty to do with its 640kg weight. Red Bull's 2025 car should be operating at the current minimum weight of 800kg — a 20 percent difference that might've got Lindblad mired in mud and in serious trouble with the Leeds ground staff.
Car weight is quite the topic in F1 given a small step to get back towards nimble car designs is coming in the 2026 rules reset. But a full return towards the near 20-year stretch, cars weighed around 600kg from the early 1990s until the early 2010s, with the new target weight set at 768kg, this is not.
Lindblad won the day, but Red Bull's press release announcing the race suggested there's more content (shudder) to come on its social media channels in the form of an agility test and some sort of penalty shootout. Something tells me the footballers, soccer players (they absolutely made me change this!) will indeed get their revenge.
Our Leeds United correspondent, Beren Cross, has all the details on how this challenge came about at the 2024 British Grand Prix, with Red Bull a Leeds sponsor. But this is far from the first time Red Bull has arranged such a cross-sport stunt.
Back in 2016, then Red Bull ace Daniel Ricciardo used an RB8 to scrum down with the forwards from Bath's premiership rugby squad (above).
No formal winner of the challenge was revealed (the video ending with Ricciardo using a rugby ball to abuse a drone, of course). But it highlights how Red Bull uses its late V8 era cars for most of its F1 show runs — the RB7 and RB8, the cars that took Sebastian Vettel to his final two titles with the team in 2011 and 2012. This has much to do with how the hybrid-engined cars from 2014 onwards rarely leave any F1 factories due to the complexities of their power units.
Oh, and Lindblad has been in the headlines plenty this week, as Red Bull's longstanding request for the 17-year-old to get an early F1 super license will be adjudicated by the FIA this month. Verstappen could be banned, and a hole might temporarily appear in the Red Bull/Racing Bulls driver stable.
🇨🇦 Lance Stroll looks set to race in Montreal after his Spain injury DNS — according to this report. Luke explained what happened with the Aston Martin driver in Barcelona in our regular post-race mailbag feature with Madeline this week.
🤝 Lewis Hamilton met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street on Wednesday (side note — my birthday, spent largely eating Tacos in Peckham). They discussed education reform and Hamilton's Mission 44 charity initiative.
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‼️ Red Bull will give Yuki Tsunoda the time it denied to Liam Lawson, according to this story on F1's official website. This is after his disastrous Spanish GP weekend and seven-point haul since leaving Racing Bulls (Verstappen has scored 101 in the same seven-race stretch).
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