Max Verstappen takes blame for reckless crash that damages his own legacy
Max Verstappen's Instagram apology on Monday for his collision with George Russell in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, admitting the move was 'not right' and 'shouldn't have happened', was not before time.
It was also, frankly, plain common sense on his part.
There was simply no way Verstappen was going to be able to stick to the line he gave immediately after the race; that his move on Russell was a 'misjudgement'. In fact, the longer Verstappen stuck to that version of events, the worse it would have got.
You only needed to watch the reactions of his fellow drivers on Sunday evening to see which way the wind was blowing; Lando Norris joking with Russell in the interview pen, telling the Mercedes driver: 'I can't believe you turned into Max like that! Crazy!' Norris joking in the green room, pre-podium ceremony, that he had done a similar move to Verstappen's '…in Mario Kart', causing Oscar Piastri to stifle a giggle. Russell saying it set a bad example to kids around the world.
These are fellow professionals, not fans with laptops. They know what they saw.
They were all clearly in agreement with Nico Rosberg, who called it immediately in commentary. 'He needs to get black flagged,' the 2016 world champion said bluntly of Verstappen. 'He just crashed into Russell on purpose just to prove a point. That was horrible. That did not look good. That's bad, bad, bad. That is seriously bad.'
Nico Rosberg discusses the collision between Max Verstappen and George Russell. pic.twitter.com/b5Lubf55Ky
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 1, 2025
Even Toto Wolff, a man with whom Verstappen presumably wishes to maintain good relations, given he might one day seek a move to Mercedes, and vice-versa, with the Austrian continuing to court Verstappen, found it impossible to bite his tongue. 'This is road rage', Wolff said on Sky Sports F1 when asked about Verstappen's driving. 'He behaved like certain taxi drivers in Rome or Naples, who go crazy in traffic. I didn't understand what he wanted to do. He came out of Turn 4 without accelerating, I thought he had a problem with the car. Russell passed him, but then he came back to close the door on him.'
'If he did it out of anger,' added the Mercedes team principal, 'it's unacceptable. It almost seems like he wanted to let Russell pass and then follow suit, but I can't explain it. It's an out-of-control and dangerous attitude, without logic or respect.'
Max Verstappen is told to let George Russell through and then the two collide! 😲 pic.twitter.com/SpNBwLoGaj
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 1, 2025
Faced with the above, it was little wonder that Verstappen held his hands up on Monday. 'We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out,' the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram. '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. 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.'
The question now is what this latest act of petulance does to Verstappen's reputation. The Dutchman is already on thin ice.
No one doubts his brilliance at the wheel. Verstappen is undoubtedly the quickest driver out there, and what he has managed to wring from his Red Bull over the last few years is nothing short of sensational. He is brilliant for the sport. But if there is a flaw in his make-up – some might consider it a strength – it is his uncompromising refusal to yield to anyone or anything. It is a trait he has in common with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, two past champions with asterisks after their names.
Verstappen has not (yet) done anything as dangerous as Senna on Alain Prost in 1989, or as dastardly as Schumacher on Damon Hill in 1994. But the rap sheet of transgressions is growing, and almost as bad is the petulance he shows even when he is clearly in the wrong.
On Sunday night, Verstappen dismissed Russell's complaints out of hand, insisting he had 'no regrets', and adding sarcastically that he would 'bring some tissues next time' for Russell, a man he has previously called a 'crybaby' and a 'princess'.
Verstappen's apology on Monday – if you can call it that, since there was no actual apology addressed to Russell – was at least a start. Verstappen mea culpas are, after all, rarer than hen's teeth. And he deserves credit for it, and so do Red Bull. They have often been criticised for enabling Verstappen's worst behaviours.
In an interview with Telegraph Sport earlier this season, Hill – a man Verstappen accused last season of 'bias' – addressed this very issue rather well.
'I'm not anti-Max,' Hill insisted. 'This is the point. I think Max is brilliant. I like him. I mean what's not to like? He's sensational. But when I felt he overstepped the mark, I said so. And I think Red Bull have a responsibility, their team management has a responsibility, to the sport you know? If their driver goes over the limit on occasion, they have a responsibility to say: 'You can't do that.' And they don't. That's always been my issue with them. That they have almost given Max carte blanche and protected their driver from not sticking to the code, if you like.'
Well, Verstappen has now taken responsibility for this particular incident. Belatedly, yes. But he has done it. It does not change what he did in the race on Sunday, which was egregious. But it is a start. If he wants to be remembered as a great champion, he needs to continue to learn from episodes such as this.
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