Verstappen and Russell React to Dramatic Collision at Spanish Grand Prix

BARCELONA, Spain — George Russell and Max Verstappen shared their thoughts after a dramatic collision during the Spanish Grand Prix that resulted in a penalty for Verstappen and changed the race’s final standings. The incident unfolded late in the race, following the deployment of a Safety Car due to Kimi Antonelli‘s mechanical failure.

As the race resumed, Verstappen, who had only hard tires available, was vulnerable to competitors. He lost his position to Charles Leclerc shortly after the restart, and in an attempt to defend against Russell, he collided with the Mercedes driver on the penultimate lap. The contact caused Verstappen to drop from fifth to tenth place and prompted a 10-second penalty.

Russell expressed his surprise at the incident, stating, “My perspective is that I just got crashed into! I don’t really know why or what the thinking was behind it. In the end, I’m glad that I continued with little damage, and ultimately it punished him a lot more than me.” He added that Verstappen’s aggressive style of racing ultimately cost him and his team valuable points.

Verstappen acknowledged the misstep, citing a lack of grip from the hard tires. “I had a big moment there in the last corner. Unfortunately the hard tires had very low grip, so that was quite painful,” he said. “In hindsight, was it better to stay out? Maybe, I don’t know.”

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner provided context, mentioning that Maxim should have let Russell pass as a strategy in light of the impending penalty. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff raised concerns about Verstappen’s motivations, questioning whether he intended to allow Russell to pass only to regain the position immediately.

Ultimately, Leclerc capitalized on the situation, moving up to third place and securing his second consecutive podium. “The Safety Car helped us,” Leclerc remarked. “Max had no tires except the hard tire, which put him in a bad situation.”

Lewis Hamilton also faced challenges during the race, finishing sixth after initially qualifying fifth. He lamented a lack of pace compared to his teammate and planned to analyze data to identify performance issues. Hamilton’s finish was ultimately upgraded due to Verstappen’s penalty.