Max Verstappen issues fresh ‘not right’ statement after George Russell clash
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is the reigning F1 World Champion
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has admitted that his move on George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix was “not right and shouldn’t have happened.”
Verstappen clashed with Mercedes driver Russell at Turn 5 in the closing stages of Sunday’s race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Max Verstappen: George Russell move was ‘not right’ and ‘shouldn’t have happened’
It came moments after Verstappen was instructed to give fourth place to Russell after cutting the track to stay ahead at Turn 1.
Verstappen finished fifth on the road in Spain, but was demoted to 10th in the final classification after being hit with a 10-second penalty.
The reigning four-time World Champion showed little remorse in the immediate aftermath on Sunday, insisting that he had “no” regrets about the clash with Russell.
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In a post on social media on Monday, however, Verstappen appeared to backtrack by confessing that his move “was not right and shouldn’t have happened.”
He said: “We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till 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.
“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’s post has been ‘liked’ by Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, who vowed to discuss the incident “internally” with his driver after the race.
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As well as his in-race penalty, Verstappen was also handed three penalty points by the FIA, putting him just one away from a one-race ban.
Drivers automatically trigger a one-race ban if they hit 12 penalty points within a 12-month period, with Verstappen sitting on 11 after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Former Haas star Kevin Magnussen became the first driver to be banned under the current system, introduced in 2014, last year with the Dane forced to sit out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s tally of penalty points is currently not scheduled to decrease until June 30, when his points for causing a collision with Lando Norris at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix drop out of the 12-month window.
It means Verstappen must navigate the next two race weekends in Canada and Austria without adding to his tally.
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