Motor racing-Russell clash should not have happened, says Verstappen

The Star

2 days ago

Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain - June 1, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen ahead of the race REUTERS/Bruna Casas
BARCELONA (Reuters) -Max Verstappen has conceded that his Spanish Grand Prix clash with Mercedes' George Russell, which left the Formula One champion on the brink of a ban, was wrong and should not have happened.
The Red Bull driver made his comments on Instagram a day after the race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Four-times world champion Verstappen was given a 10-second post-race penalty for appearing to drive into Russell after a late safety car period, as well as three penalty points on his super-licence.
The added time dropped him from fifth to 10th while the penalty points took his tally to 11 in a 12-month period. One more in the next two races before the end of June will trigger a race ban.
"We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out," Verstappen, who had led Sunday's race won by McLaren's Oscar Piastri, said in his post.
"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."
On Sunday, in the immediate aftermath, Verstappen had preferred not to comment.
The Dutch driver has won twice this season, the only non-McLaren driver to do so, but his hopes of a fifth title are slipping away as McLaren continue to dominate with seven wins in nine races so far.
His move on Russell drew a mixture of condemnation and astonishment in the paddock.
"It looked like a very intentional retaliation. Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn One," said Mercedes' 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports.
"That's something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag, yes. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that's a black flag."
Verstappen said on Sunday that Rosberg "can have his opinion", while Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told reporters "Nico's quite sensational in the way he commentates, so we'll leave it there."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)