Max Verstappen slammed after controversial crash as F1 rival hits out
Max Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty for colliding with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix, but the Mercedes man has no plans to discuss the incident with his Red Bull rival
George Russell dismisses the idea of hashing it out with Max Verstappen after an on-track scuffle that saw the Red Bull luminary drop five slots at the Spanish Grand Prix. Stewards enforced a 10-second penalty on Verstappen for a Turn 5 collision with Russell in Barcelona.
Acknowledging his role in the crash, Verstappen publicly assumed responsibility for the tussle. The friction between the two hit a crescendo when Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, directed him to let Russell overtake—a command that incensed Verstappen who believed Russell had forced him off course earlier, leading to a slow down and a subsequent speedy acceleration resulting in the controversial contact with Russell's vehicle.
When F1TV queried about a potential one-on-one discussion regarding the clash, Russell curtly said: "Not really. I mean, does it surprise you? That's how Max goes racing. He was in P4, I was in P5."
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He further added, "I ended up in P4 and he ended up in P10, so from my side, I'm glad that I managed to finish the race. Not really sure what he was thinking because he cost himself and his team a lot of points. No conversation really required."
On Instagram, Verstappen later confessed the action was "not right and shouldn't have happened", sharing insights into why he reacted so heatedly.
Verstappen confessed his racing aggression in Barcelona, stating: "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."
He acknowledged that emotions can run high on the track: "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."
In response to Russell's assertion that driving incidents need strict scrutiny due to the inherent risks involved, Verstappen retorted flippantly, mentioning he will "bring the tissues for next time".
Russell had emphasized driver safety, saying: "You cannot deliberately crash into another driver. You know, we're putting our lives on the line. We're fortunate the cars are as safe as they are these days. But we shouldn't take it for granted," while implying that strong action is needed if deliberate crashing is suspected: "It's down to the stewards to determine if it's deliberate or not.
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"If they do think it's deliberate, then they need to have a hard precedent. Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him. It's a shame that something like that continues to occur."
The F1 sensation's jibe comes after receiving 11 points on his licence, putting him at risk of a race ban should he incur any penalties in the upcoming two races.
