Verstappen admits Russell crash shouldn’t have happened
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has accepted that his crash into Mercedes rival George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix “was not right and shouldn’t have happened”.
The hot-headed Dutchman veered into Russell with two laps remaining, earning a 10-second penalty which demoted him from fifth to 10th and three penalty points which leave him on the brink of a one-race ban.
Verstappen initially refused to apologise for the collision, responding to news of a rebuke from Russell by saying he would “bring some tissues next time”, but on Monday adopted a more conciliatory tone.
“We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out,” the Red Bull driver wrote on social media.
“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.”
It is the latest clash between Verstappen and a rival driver, following repeated run-ins with Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in recent seasons.
Russell: Verstappen move totally unneccesary
In the aftermath of Sunday’s race in Barcelona, Russell called Verstappen’s manoeuvre “totally unnecessary” and accused him of letting himself down.
He added: “I don’t know what he was thinking. It doesn’t really make sense to deliberately crash into somebody and risk damaging your own car, risk a penalty.
“In the end, I’m not going to lose sleep over it because I ultimately benefited from those antics.”
Verstappen’s 10th place finish left him 49 points behind championship leaders Oscar Piastri, who won the race from Norris in a McLaren one-two.
The flashpoint came when Russell tried to overtake Verstappen at the first corner, only for the four-time champion to keep position by leaving the track.
He was then asked to let Russell pass and, after doing so, steered into the Englishman’s Mercedes as he went round the outside.
His three penalty points mean he has now accumulated 11 on his licence, one shy of the number that would trigger an automatic one-race ban.