Max Verstappen admits “frustration” but move on George Russell “not right”
Red Bull driver admits frustration got the better of him in Turn 5 tangle that led to a double penalty.
Max Verstappen has admitted that his clash with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix was “not right” and “shouldn’t have happened”.
Last Sunday’s Formula 1 race in Barcelona came to its head after a late-race safety car, which led to a six-lap dash to the finish.
With Red Bull having been forced to fit slower hard tyres on Verstappen’s car during the caution, the Dutchman struggled at the restart and lost the final spot on the podium to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, before coming to blows with the Mercedes of George Russell at Turn 1.
The incident forced Verstappen to take to the escape road, who then rejoined the track ahead of the Briton.
Red Bull repeatedly asked Verstappen to hand back the position, believing he had gained an unfair advantage by running off track, prompting a furious response from the four-time F1 champion.
He appeared to lift to cede the position into Turn 5, but then accelerated again and made side-to-side contact with Russell’s car in a bizarre sequence that sparked controversy and led to a 10-second time penalty.
Verstappen was also handed three penalty points on his superlicence, bringing him within one point of an automatic race ban.
In a post on Instagram on Monday, Verstappen offered a rare admission of fault and pointed to a build-up of frustration in the cockpit.
“We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out,” he wrote.
“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 did eventually give way to Russell at Turn 11 and crossed the finish line in fifth, before the penalty relegated him to 10th in the final order.
He is also just one penalty point away from a race ban, leaving him walking a tightrope in the next two F1 races in Canada and Austria.
Interestingly, stewards concluded that no further action was needed on the first clash between Verstappen and Russell at Turn 1, meaning Red Bull didn’t need to instruct its driver to give way.
