Max Verstappen issues fresh statement amid backlash over actions at Spanish GP

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Max Verstappen has admitted he was wrong to slam into George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix. In the latter stages of the race, the Dutchman lost his temper and appeared to deliberately hit into the Mercedes of his British rival.
When asked after the race if he had done it on purpose, Verstappen was unapologetic and simply replied: "Does it matter?". But now, having slept on it, the Red Bull racer has taken to social media to admit that he crossed a line – though he did not apologise.
He wrote: "We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, until the safety car came out. 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."
Verstappen had been angered after a safety car restart with six laps to go, when he felt two other drivers initiated contact with his Red Bull. One of them was Charles Leclerc and the other was Russell, who the Dutchman felt had forced him off at turn one.
Shortly after, Verstappen was advised by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to cede his place to Russell, Red Bull clearly worried that their driver had left the track and gained an advantage by staying in front of the Mercedes.
That prompted a furious response over the radio from the four-time Formula 1 champion. He then slowed down and appeared to be complying with that request, until he then suddenly sped up again and banged wheel with Russell's Mercedes.
The stewards were unimpressed and, though they did not disqualify Verstappen as Nico Rosberg wanted, they handed him a 10-second time penalty which dropped him to 10th place in the final classification. That meant he scored just one point and lost significant ground to rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the title race.
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Perhaps even more pertinently, three more penalty points were placed on his racing licence. He now has a tally of 11, meaning one more before any of his current points expire – two of them will become void at the end of June, after the next two races – will incur an automatic race ban.