Max Verstappen has acknowledged that his late-race clash with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix “was not right and shouldn’t have happened”, as the Red Bull star edges dangerously close to an automatic one-race ban.
The Dutchman was handed a 10-second time penalty and incurred three penalty points on his super licence following the incident, which occurred during a chaotic restart late in the race. The stewards deemed Verstappen at fault for the contact with Russell’s Mercedes, which unfolded after a Safety Car was deployed when Kimi Antonelli’s car came to a halt in a gravel trap due to a power unit issue.
Fitted with hard tyres while rivals switched to softs, Verstappen found himself at a disadvantage in the restart. Running third behind the two McLarens, he was overtaken by Charles Leclerc before Russell made an aggressive move into Turn 1. Contact between the pair saw Verstappen forced onto the escape road. Although he briefly rejoined ahead of Russell, he was instructed to hand the position back. It was during this exchange that the second contact occurred, ultimately resulting in the penalty.
The three additional points bring Verstappen’s current tally to 11 – just one point shy of the 12-point threshold that triggers a mandatory one-race suspension. No points will drop off his licence until 30 June, meaning the reigning world champion must navigate both the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix without incident.
Taking to Instagram after the race, Verstappen reflected on the events in Barcelona: “We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, [until] the Safety Car came out. Our tyre choice at 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.”
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner acknowledged the precarious position his driver is now in and urged caution over the coming races. “You can never guarantee anything,” Horner said. “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.”
Verstappen is due to lose two points on 30 June, which were earned for a collision with Lando Norris at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix. That would reduce his total to nine, offering a degree of respite, although no further deductions will follow until the end of October.
Last season, Kevin Magnussen was handed a race ban after reaching the 12-point mark, forcing him to miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Haas replaced him with reserve driver Oliver Bearman.
Should Verstappen be hit with a ban, Red Bull may look to its Racing Bulls line-up for a replacement, with Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar potential options, or alternatively draw from the wider Red Bull junior pool, which includes Ayumu Iwasa and Arvid Lindblad.