Verstappen concedes Russell move ‘was not right’

Max Verstappen has admitted frustration led to him making contact with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix in “a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened”.

Kimi Antonelli’s retirement led to a late safety car where the field pitted for fresh tires, but Red Bull only had a new set of the hard compound left for Verstappen after opting for an aggressive three-stop strategy. On the slower tire, Verstappen was quickly passed by Charles Leclerc and then had Russell attack him at Turn 1, forcing him wide, in a move that frustrated the Dutchman but led to his team telling him to give up the position.

Verstappen appeared to be doing so when he slowed down on the exit of Turn 4, but then accelerated into Turn 5 where he made contact with Russell. He refused to discuss the incident on Sunday after the race, but took to social media on Monday morning to acknowledge his error.

“We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out,” Verstappen wrote. “Our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled 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.”

The collision earned Verstappen a 10-second time penalty and a penalty point on his license, leaving him just one point away from a race ban until the end of June, as he currently sits on 11 over the 12 month period. Even if he avoids punishment in that spell, he will still be three points from a ban until late October, with team principal Christian Horner admitting it leaves Verstappen at risk over the next two rounds in Canada and Austria.

“Obviously you can hear how frustrated he was,” Horner said. “He felt that he'd been barged out of the way at turn one, so there was a lot of frustration that was in the car.

“You can never guarantee anything. He’s just got to keep his nose clean in the next couple of races. Then the first points come off at the end of June.”