George Russell Issues Scathing Statement Regarding the Max Verstappen Collision
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Mercedes F1 driver George Russell had some choice words for Max Verstappen after the two drivers collided at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen hit Russell's car while giving a position back for an earlier collision, which left the Mercedes car damaged.
Russell and Verstappen have a storied history of problems on and off the track. The pair had a heated war of words last season.
George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes answers questions in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty...
George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes answers questions in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by) More
Photo byRussell, after Sunday's collision in Barcelona, went right back at Verstappen for the retaliatory move during his post-race debrief.
"It felt very deliberate, to be honest," Russell told reporters after the race.
"It's something that I've seen numerous times in sim racing and on iRacing. Never have I seen it in a Formula 1 race. So that was something new.
"It's a bit of a shame because Max is clearly one of the best drivers in the world.
"But maneuvers like that are just totally unnecessary and sort of lets him down. It's a shame for all the young kids looking up, aspiring to be Formula 1 drivers.
"So, as I said, I don't know what he was thinking. In the end, I'm not going to lose sleep over it because I ultimately benefited from those antics."
The collision came as a result of a safety car bunching up the field, leading to a string of on-track battles during the last handful of laps.
All of the cars made a pit stop to get a fresh pair of tires because the track in Barcelona was chewing up the cars' rubber.
Limited in his choices for tires due to three pit stops, Verstappen was put on hard tires, which left the driver vulnerable since the other nearby cars were on soft tires.
After losing a place to Charles Leclerc, Verstappen had Russell right on his tail. Russell went for the overtake on Verstappen, though there was contact between the drivers.
A dramatic restart! 😱
This was a heart-in-mouth moment between Verstappen and Leclerc 👀#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/xO8Qz3USJa — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025
Red Bull were nervous that Verstappen would be given a penalty for the incident and requested that the Dutch driver give Russell the place.
Later in the lap, Verstappen started to slow down, seeming ready to give the place back, when out of nowhere he jolts his car into the Mercedes, leading to damage on his rival's car.
This collision led to a five-second time penalty, which dropped Verstappen down to P10, while Russell managed to carry on and finish P4.
Drama in the closing stages of the race! 😱
Max Verstappen drops to P10 following a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with George Russell #F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/anhkyJ92pk — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025
More F1: Max Verstappen Awarded FIA Platinum License for Endurance Racing
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