Max Verstappen admits driving into George Russell was ‘not right' in apologetic Instagram post
Max Verstappen has appeared to accept the blame for crashing into George Russell late on at the Spanish Grand Prix, admitting that the incident 'shouldn't have happened'.
The Red Bull driver collided with his rival's Mercedes after Verstappen had been advised by his team to give up his place to Russell on the third from last lap of the race.
Advertisement
Following a safety-car restart, Verstappen ran off the track as he attempted to defend fourth position, before rejoining ahead of the British driver.
Having slowed down at Turn 5 to seemingly allow Russell past, the four-time world champion accelerated to cause a collision. He would later give up his place before being hit with a 10-second penalty by the stewards, demoting him to 10th.
And while stopping short of apologising to his fellow driver, Verstappen has said that frustration got the better of him after a disappointing day at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.
'We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out,' Verstappen said 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.
Advertisement
'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.'
Verstappen also received three penalty points after the incident, leaving him just one point away from a race ban.
2016 world champion Nico Rosberg suggested on Sky Sportsthat the sanction was too lenient, suggesting that an immediate race disqualification should have been issued.
Max Verstappen was perhaps fortunate to escape a stiffer sanction (Getty)
Russell appeared to concur with Rosberg that Verstappen should have been given a stiffer punishment if the stewards deemed his actions intentional.
'If it was truly deliberate then absolutely, because you cannot deliberately crash into another driver,' Russell said.
Advertisement
"We are putting our lives on the line. We are fortunate the cars are as safe as they are these days but we shouldn't take it for granted.
"It felt very deliberate. It is something I have seen numerous times in sim racing and go-karts. I have never seen it in a Formula 1 race. It felt strange, bizarre and I really don't know what was going through his mind.
"It is a shame because Max is one of the best drivers in the world but manoeuvres like that are totally unnecessary. It lets him down, and it is a shame for all of the young kids looking up to us, aspiring to be Formula 1 drivers."
Tensions have long simmered between Russell and Verstappen after a number of contentious crashes and other incidents in recent years.
Advertisement
Responding to the comments by the Mercedes driver, Verstappen said: 'Well, I'll bring some tissues next time.
"He has his view, I have my view. It's better not to comment. In life you shouldn't regret too many things. (I have) no regrets."
After a weekend off, the F1 season will continue with the Canadian Grand Prix with race day in Montreal Sunday 15 June.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Police probe ground, abandon buildings in search for Madeleine McCann
June 4 (UPI) -- German and Portuguese police Wednesday continued their search near the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal for Madeline McCann, the British child missing since 2007. The search efforts included using ground penetrating radar focused on some derelict structures a few miles from the site where Madeline went missing. German federal police requested the renewed search that began Tuesday as they seek evidence against the imprisoned prime suspect, Christian Bruckner. He is serving time for raping a 72-year-old woman near Praia da Luz in 2005. The search is scheduled to continue until Friday. Bruckner lived in one of the houses being searched when Madeline went missing. Roughly 30 officers are conducting the search using drones and a digger and well as the ground penetrating radar. The radar employs electromagnetic radiation pulsed into the ground to detect objects or changes beneath the surface, reducing the need to dig as much as other wise would be required. Bruckner has denied being involved in Madeleine's disappearance. He was officially identified as a suspect in 2022. The search is focused on 120 acres that include abandoned buildings between the Ocean Club resort where McCann and her family were staying and the house Bruckner lived in. Bruckner sometimes worked as a handyman at the Ocean Club. Madeleine disappeared May 3, 2007 after her parents left her sleeping in a room with her twin 2-year-old siblings. The last search before this was in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir roughly 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Bruckner is set to be released from prison in September unless further charges are filed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pro-Palestine protesters in UK call for Israel arms embargo, sanctions
Pro-Palestine campaigners have rallied against Israel's punishing war on Gaza, gathering outside the British Parliament in London and demanding a full arms embargo and that hard-hitting sanctions be imposed on the Israeli government. Wednesday's march, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took weekly questions from parliamentarians. Thousands of protesters created a 'Red Line for Palestine', wearing red while encircling the building. Starmer told Parliament that Israel's actions in the besieged and bombarded enclave are 'appalling' and 'intolerable'. 'It is right to describe these days as dark,' Starmer said. 'We have strongly opposed the expansion of Israeli military operations, and settler violence, and the blocking of humanitarian aid.' Starmer added that the UK has imposed sanctions, suspended free trade negotiations, and is currently considering further sanctions. But the UK leader, his Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and his government have come under heavy criticism in the UK for not speaking more forcefully backed by actual action earlier in the war, and for not doing enough now as Palestinians face what United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the 'cruellest phase of this cruel conflict'. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from London, said the protest went on for several hours and throughout Starmer's entire speech to Parliament. 'There was a red line around the whole of Parliament,' Challands said. 'These protesters had formed a cordon, essentially all the way down from Parliament to the first bridge … that goes across to the other side of the [River] Thames, and they came back up … and returned over Westminster Bridge to join up here to make a full loop,' he added. According to Challands, protesters say that their 'red line' is to show that the UK government should have its own red lines when it comes to Gaza. It has not had 'sufficient' red lines in place, he said. 'The protesters say there should have been red lines before 54,000 deaths.' In his remarks, Starmer also called for an end to the siege and said humanitarian aid must reach Gaza quickly and in the required quantities. Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on the territory, barring the entry of much-needed aid, including food, medicine, clean water, and fuel required by generators. A famine now looms as more than two million people are facing starvation, the UN has warned. Meanwhile, a controversial, United States-backed group that runs aid distribution points in Gaza – the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – has suspended operations for a full day. The move came after Israeli forces opened fire at hungry aid seekers several times, killing dozens of Palestinians and injuring hundreds more since the organisation started operating in the enclave on May 27. The killing of people desperately seeking food supplies has triggered mounting international outrage as many say aid is being weaponised and with the UN's Guterres demanding an independent inquiry. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians and wounded 125,341, according to the Health Ministry.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Who is Travis Decker? Police search for father suspected of killing his 3 daughters
Who is Travis Decker? Police search for father suspected of killing his 3 daughters Authorities in Washington state continue to search for Travis Decker, a father suspected killing of his three daughters, who were found dead on June 2. Decker, 32, is wanted on charges including three counts of first-degree murder in connection to the deaths of Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. The sisters' mother reported the children missing May 30, police said, after the siblings left their central Washington home for a planned visit for their father. Wenatchee is in Chelan County, about 148 miles east of Seattle. Washington State Patrol issued statewide alert for the girls on May 31 and, following a search, a Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputy found their father's white 2017 GMC Sierra truck near Rock Island Campground, about 40 miles northwest of Wenatchee. Police said no one was inside, but they found the girls bodies during a search near the truck. Their father was nowhere to be found and police confirmed to USA TODAY that Decker remained at large, as of Wednesday morning, June 4. Here's what to know about the case and Travis Decker. The hunt for Maddie McCann: Search relaunched for the 3-year-old British girl who vanished in 2007 Who is Travis Decker? Travis Decker is a 32-year-old from the Wenatchee area who was homeless and living out of a white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup at the time the girls vanished, according to police. Police said he is a former military member with extensive training who "may pose a significant risk, if approached." Police could not say whether he was armed while on the run. He is a native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from Pewaukee High School in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, according to an online records search by USA TODAY. One of Decker's previous addresses included an Army P.O. box. USA TODAY has reached out to the U.S. Army for comment. He was a member of a standout 2010 Pewaukee wrestling team, wrestling in the state finals that year, according to the Milwaukee News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. The suspect's brother, TJ Decker, said his brother graduated from the school in 2010, Fox 6 reported. Travis Decker description Police described Travis Decker as a white man with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5'8'', and weighing 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts. What happened to the three sisters? State officials issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) for the sisters on May 31. Washington State Patrol was originally contacted on May 30 to request an Amber Alert but the situation "did not meet the required criteria" at the time, Wenatchee police said. The next day, Wenatchee police detectives recontacted state patrol with additional information and the EMPA was issued, police reported. "Officers immediately began working to determine the whereabouts of the children and their father," police wrote in a news release issued June 3. Based on information provided to patrol officers, all Wenatchee motels were searched "with no results," police wrote. Police also tracked Decker's truck and learned the vehicle had traveled west on Highway 2 from Wenatchee on May 30. The search for the three girls continued until June 2, when a a Chelan County Forest Service deputy found the truck unoccupied about 3:45 p.m. near the Rock Island Campground. Officers searched the area immediately surrounding the vehicle and found the bodies of the three missing girls, police said, adding that their father was nowhere to be found. Investigators traced Travis Decker's cell phone, which revealed he had visited the same campground a day prior to the girls' kidnapping, multiple outlets including the Spokesman-Review and Fox 13 reported. Reports identify Decker sisters' likely cause of death The three girls likely died of asphyxiation, Washington media outlets including Fox 13 and Seattle Times reported, citing court documents. Travis Decker had exhibited mental health issues prior to the girls' deaths, local media reported, citing court filings. Who is Whitney Decker? Whitney Decker is the mother of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia and Travis Decker's ex-wife, according to online court records obtained by USA TODAY. The pair has been divorced for several years. A 7-year-old boy died crossing a street: His parents are being charged. What is Travis Decker wanted for? Travis Decker is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree kidnapping and three counts of first-degree custodial interference, according to police. Authorities are asking for the community's assistance in locating him. As of June 4, a reward of up to $20,000 was being offered for information leading to his arrest, according to the sheriff's office. Wenatchee Police Captain Brian Chance, in a phone interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said the suspect has not been formally charged with murder or kidnapping. But according to online court filings, a court-issued warrant indicates there is probable cause on the charges for his arrest. In addition to local and state law enforcement, U.S. Marshals are assisting in the search lead by the sheriff's office. Police said he should not be approached. Anyone who sees the suspect or with informatoin about his whereabouts is asked to call 911. Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
