Montmelo, Spain (AP) – Max Verstappen faced challenges during his Formula 1 title defense at the Spanish Grand Prix after colliding with George Russell’s Mercedes, a move Russell later described as “intentional.”
The Red Bull team instructed Verstappen to relinquish his position to Russell in an effort to avoid minor penalties for exceeding track limits, allowing him to defend his place later in the race.
The Dutch driver delayed the handover, resulting in a collision between Verstappen’s car and the side of Russell’s silver arrow.
The race steward concluded that “the collision was clearly caused by Verstappen’s actions,” leading to a 10-second penalty that dropped him to 10th place after finishing fifth.
“Honestly, I felt very cautious,” Russell told reporters. “This is something I have… I’ve never witnessed this before in Formula 1 races.”
“It’s a bit disappointing, as Max is undoubtedly one of the best in the world, but such antics are completely unnecessary and disheartening.”
Organizational Time
Verstappen showed no remorse.
“Next time, I’ll bring some tissues,” Verstappen responded when asked about Russell’s remark that he wasn’t a great example of an ambitious driver.
The four-time defending champion dismissed Russell’s perspective, stating, “He has his view, I have my view.”
Other drivers weighed in on the incident.
Lando Norris, who finished second behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, commented on the incident after seeing it on a video monitor while taking a break.
“I’ve done that before… in Mario Kart,” Norris likened the collision to the popular action-packed racing video game.
Verstappen Encountered Safety Car Late
Verstappen was in third place and appeared ready to challenge Norris for second until Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes went into the gravel, prompting a safety car deployment.
McLaren swiftly pitted for new tires, but Verstappen had already made additional pit stops, leaving no soft or medium compound tires available. Consequently, his team fitted hard compound tires. This setup was slower and less optimal for the short term, especially just five laps after the restart.
Verstappen felt like a sitting duck and was quickly overtaken by Charles Leclerc from Ferrari and Russell.
“Until then, I thought we were looking really good,” Verstappen expressed. “Sure, we didn’t have McLaren’s pace, but after those three stops, it still appeared competitive, and we had at least a bit of pressure to keep them pushing.”
After earning only one point from the race, Verstappen found himself 49 points behind Piastri in the overall standings.
___
AP Auto Race: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Source: apnews.com