Max Verstappen remained dismissive when questioned about his late race collision with George Russell during the Spanish GP, receiving a 10 second penalty that dropped him from fifth to tenth place. Verstappen’s controversial move has sparked a debate about his driving standards as his 2025 title hopes slip away.
Verstappen Gets Dismissive in Post Race Interview
Verstappen’s frustration was clear in his post-race interview. When asked directly if his move on George Russell was intentional Verstappen responded “Does it matter?“
In response to being told that the moment mattered to fans, Verstappen stated he would “prefer to speak about the race than just one single moment.”
Red Bull’s Strategy Backfires at Spanish GP
Beyond the Spanish GP incident, Verstappen admitted Red Bull has bigger problems. “I think we are way too slow anyway to fight for the title,” he admitted.
Red Bull went with a three stop strategy that was risky but necessary due to tire wear issues. Then a late safety car threw everything into chaos when Antonelli’s Mercedes broke down. Most drivers ahead pitted for fresh tires, along with Max Verstappen who put on low grip C1 hard compounds.
The Red Bull driver struggled severely after the restart, immediately losing his podium place to Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari, and fighting with George Russell behind.
Looking back Verstappen reflected on the tire strategy that left him vulnerable, “We just ran out of tires. In hindsight, was it better to stay out? Maybe, I don’t know. It’s always easy to say afterwards.“
Late collision sparks controversy at the Spanish GP
Following the restart after Max Verstappen got passed by Leclerc, falling back to P4, Russell attempted to take advantage and charge past Verstappen. Verstappen went wide and took to the exit road, emerging ahead of the Mercedes. His race engineer recommended him to give the position back to avoid a penalty for gaining an advantage off track.
Verstappen then appeared to back off at Turn 5 and invited Russell to take the outside line. But he then quickly returned to his usual speed and collided with Russell in what became the race’s biggest talking point.
When pressed about the Verstappen Russell collision and the 10 second penalty, Verstappen delivered a dismissive response, “I don’t need to say anything about it because it doesn’t matter anyway.”
Verstappen later addressed broader questions about his reputation, maintaining his dismissive stance. When told that incidents like this hurt his standing with fans, he simply replied “Is it?” before continuing with “Okay, well, that’s your opinion.”
Penalty points put Verstappen on the brink of a race ban
For the Red Bull driver the Spanish GP incident resulted in much more serious consequences beyond just his 10 second time penalty. Verstappen later received three penalty points on his super license.
Verstappen now sits on 11 penalty points total. Under F1 rules, 12 points in a 12 month period trigger an automatic one race suspension, leaving him just one point away from a potential ban.
The controversy from the Verstappen Spanish GP incident adds another chapter to his 2025 season struggles, with his dismissive attitude highlighting the pressure as his championship hopes continue to slip away.
