
Max Verstappen has admitted frustration led to him making contact with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix in “a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened”.
Kimi Antonelli’s retirement led to a late safety car where the field pitted for fresh tires, but Red Bull only had a new set of the hard compound left for Verstappen after opting for an aggressive three-stop strategy. On the slower tire, Verstappen was quickly passed by Charles Leclerc and then had Russell attack him at Turn 1, forcing him wide, in a move that frustrated the Dutchman but led to his team telling him to give up the position.
Verstappen appeared to be doing so when he slowed down on the exit of Turn 4, but then accelerated into Turn 5 where he made c ontact with Russell. He refused to discuss the incident on Sunday after the race, but took to social media on Monday morning to acknowledge his error.