“Max Verstappen deserved a black flag in Spain”, claims former F1 team principal. Günther Steiner criticises Max Verstappen and the FIA after the Spanish GP.

Günther Steiner did not mince words on the Red Flags podcast, commenting on the controversial ending of the Spanish Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen hit George Russell in a tense moment after being accused of gaining a position unfairly. According to the former Haas team boss, if the move had been intentional, disqualification would have been inevitable and Verstappen would have deserved the black flag.

“You’re not allowed to hit someone on purpose. That’s clear. If you do, you should be disqualified,” he stated bluntly. However, Steiner, with his usual irony, also admitted he wouldn’t want to see Max disqualified from one of the upcoming Grands Prix.

Did Verstappen deserve the black flag? Günther Steiner’s words
“I don’t want Max to be disqualified. He’s too entertaining to watch. He’s good for the show.” Then he joked: “It’s not about rules or penalties. It’s about entertainment for us fans!” In short, while Günther Steiner recognises the seriousness of the action, he also admits Verstappen is too important for the championship’s appeal to be excluded.

The ten-second penalty was judged by many – including Günther Steiner – to be insufficient. “Now we have a precedent: if it happens again, it’ll just be a penalty. So anyone can exploit the situation.” The former Haas boss added sarcastically: “If Kevin Magnussen had known 10 seconds was enough, he’d have wiped out the whole grid and won the race with a 90-second penalty.”

According to Steiner, the FIA missed an opportunity to draw a clear line on track behaviour. He added: “Now someone fighting for eleventh place can decide to take out their opponent and get 10 seconds. That’s unacceptable.”

Steiner also commented on Red Bull’s decision to have Verstappen give the position back to George Russell, suggesting it may have been an attempt to avoid bigger issues, such as another penalty or an accumulation of penalty points on the super licence. A move possibly motivated more by fear of the FIA than genuine sportsmanship.

With a possible disqualification looming, the Max Verstappen case is far from closed. But if it were up to Steiner, Max shouldn’t miss Montreal: “The show comes first. He’s too entertaining – without him, it would be boring.”