Of all the events that occurred at yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix, the maneuver that left the strongest impression was Max Verstappen’s move on George Russell. The Dutch driver first let the rival through, then made contact with his wheel, all while keeping position.
A day after the incident, Christian Horner—team principal of Red Bull Racing—revealed that Max had apologized during the team’s debrief after the race at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, either in the afternoon or at the latest, early evening yesterday.
“The Spanish GP closes the European triple-header and we leave Barcelona with the frustration of not having gained much from the race,” Christian Horner wrote on his official Instagram account. “As a team, we tried to attack the McLarens with a three-stop strategy, which was the best one available. It was only the Safety Car that made it fail. We wouldn’t have been so close to Lando if it weren’t for the three stops.”
“The Safety Car came out at the worst possible moment for our strategy—we had to choose between staying out on worn Softs or gambling with a fresh set of Hards. In hindsight, it was the right decision at the time, with the information we had.”
“The resulting outcome was frustrating, as Max was on course for a relatively easy podium and solid championship points. Max apologized during the debrief for the incident with Russell. The Safety Car also compromised Yuki Tsunoda’s race, who was very close to scoring points based on the pace he was showing.”
“But that’s racing. Things can change in a split second. It’s one of the reasons we’re all so fascinated by and in love with this sport. It was a tough weekend, but we’ll work hard in the coming weeks to bring some updates to the car and come back stronger in Montreal.”
According to information from Motorsport-Total, a publication within the Motorsport Network, the conversation between Max Verstappen and the team reportedly did not take place yesterday in Barcelona, but instead this morning, likely via a conference call.
No further details have emerged, nor is it yet clear why the meeting was called. It will now be interesting to see what Helmut Marko says on ServusTV this evening, to learn more about the aftermath of Verstappen’s penalty.
Yesterday, the Dutch driver received a 10-second time penalty for the incident with Russell, which dropped him from fourth to tenth place. He also received 3 penalty points, bringing his total to 11 out of the 12 allowed. If he receives one more before recovering any, the four-time world champion would be forced to miss a Grand Prix.
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