Max Verstappen reacts to Russell incident and media criticism: “Penalty’s done, what more can I say?”. Max Verstappen reacts to his penalty and Russell clash at the Spanish GP.

Max Verstappen under scrutiny
Max Verstappen and his behaviour — namely, the aggressive move on George Russell in the closing stages of the Spanish GP, which earned him a 10-second penalty and dropped him from fifth to tenth place — are under close scrutiny in the Barcelona paddock. The Dutchman was penalised by the stewards, who deemed the contact with the Mercedes at Turn 5 essentially deliberate.

The four-time world champion, who scored just one point today and dropped to 49 points behind the top of the championship standings, responded to TV interviews showing signs of irritation. Speaking to Sky Italia, Red Bull’s number 1 reflected on the decision to pit when the Safety Car was deployed — a choice he later regretted — and also addressed the key episode of his race: the contact with George Russell.

Max’s version
“It’s a shame about the Safety Car, because in the end we’d run out of tyres and had to switch to the hards. Looking back, maybe it would’ve been better to stay out and not change tyres. But in general, looking at the race, doing three stops allowed me to attack more, it was a more enjoyable race instead of just managing the tyres. But that’s racing: sometimes things go your way, other times you’re unlucky at the end — this was one of those times when it didn’t work out for us,” Max Verstappen said.

“Would I have done something different with Russell? In the first incident, when I had to give the position back, I don’t think so — I was pushed off the track. In the second one, yes, of course, but I got the penalty, so what more can be said? I can’t say anything positive about it. Is 49 points too much to recover? Yes, of course,” the Dutch champion added. “I also think, in general, we don’t have the pace. They [McLaren] have been just a bit too quick for us this year.” – he pointed out at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Clash with British media
There was also a tense moment between Max Verstappen and a British Sky Sports F1 journalist, who openly criticised the Red Bull driver’s behaviour: “You made that fantastic move in Imola and we all saw what an incredible driver you are,” the journalist said directly to Max Verstappen, “and it’s horrible to see that brilliance erased, even for fans and kids watching.” “That’s your opinion,” Verstappen snapped back, continuing his traditionally difficult relationship with the British press.