It has been reported that race officials at the Spanish Grand Prix supported Max Verstappen’s concerns, despite Red Bull’s warnings throughout the race.
Verstappen clashed with Russell late in the race, appearing to purposefully crash into the Mercedes star after his Red Bull crew urged him to pass for fourth place.
The subsequent penalty – imposed to Verstappen at the end of the race – pushed him down to 10th in the pecking order, and he told media after the race that it ‘doesn’t matter’ if the move to smash into Russell was intentional or not.
The resulting penalty – given to Verstappen at the end of the race – dropped him down to 10th in the pecking order, and he told media after the race that it ‘doesn’t matter’ if the move to crash into Russell was intentional or not.
It was the second time in just a matter of laps that the pair had made contact, after they had come together into turn one after the safety car restart, with Verstappen heading off-track and staying ahead of Russell.
Red Bull told Verstappen to give the position back – as to avoid being given a penalty – something which ignited Verstappen’s fury.
Now, it has been confirmed in an official statement from the stewards that there was no need for Verstappen to give the position back to Russell, ruling that it was his corner heading into turn one, and that no further action was taken on that particular incident.
“From the radio communications, it was clear that the driver of car 1 was asked by his team to ‘give the position back’ to car 63 for what they perceived to be an earlier breach by car 1 for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage (in fact, we had later determined that we would take no further action in relation to that incident),” the statement read.
Verstappen’s damaging afternoon
Not only did Verstappen’s penalty take away what would have been a very handy fifth-place result, it also has done him great damage in the drivers’ championship battle.
Verstappen is now sat 49 points behind Oscar Piastri in the standings, after the Australian managed to secure his fifth win of the season in dominant fashion.
Verstappen also received three penalty points on his superlicence, bringing his total to 11 for the year. If the four-time world champion receives another infraction in the next two races, he will be barred from racing for one race.
The Dutchman’s displeasure may now be directed at his staff during post-race meetings, as it was they who advised him to give Russell the position in the first place.
Russell’s race finish remained intact, but another collision involving Verstappen and Charles Leclerc towards the conclusion of the race was ruled ‘no further action’.
