BREAKING:Russell Reacts to Verstappen’s Admission After… read more 

George Russell has shared his thoughts on the recent clash with Max Verstappen during the Spanish Grand Prix, expressing mild surprise at the Red Bull driver’s public admission of fault. The incident occurred late in the race after a Safety Car restart, during a tight battle between the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers. Verstappen ran off track at Turn 1 but rejoined ahead of Russell. Moments later, after briefly yielding the position at Turn 4, Verstappen made contact with Russell, prompting a stewards’ review.

As a result of the collision, Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty, which significantly affected his final race result. Initially classified fifth, the penalty demoted the reigning World Champion to 10th place. Verstappen later acknowledged the incident on social media, admitting that the move “was not right and shouldn’t have happened,” a rare statement of responsibility from the often unapologetic driver.

Russell, speaking in Montreal ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, admitted he was taken aback by Verstappen’s candid reflection but didn’t see a need to escalate the situation. “I was a bit surprised to see he had taken responsibility, so fine,” Russell remarked. “But I haven’t spoken to him about it.” Interestingly, the two drivers briefly crossed paths at the airport in the days following the race. Russell noted the encounter was cordial and light-hearted. “We actually bumped into each other at the airport the other day, but I actually completely forgot we crashed into each other a few days prior. No issues.”

The British driver downplayed any suggestion that Verstappen’s actions were malicious, instead framing it as aggressive racing. “I think he was just trying to get his elbows out and show who’s boss rather than it being anything intentional,” Russell said. He added that had the crash ended his race, his perspective might have been different, but as it turned out, Verstappen’s penalty ultimately worked in Russell’s favor.

The clash, however, has broader consequences for Verstappen. With the penalty, he now holds 11 penalty points on his FIA Super Licence—just one point away from an automatic one-race ban. The system resets each point after 12 months, but the Dutchman must avoid further infractions in the upcoming races in Canada and Austria to steer clear of a suspension.

Russell acknowledged the seriousness of Verstappen’s situation but emphasized that all drivers are held to the same standard. “That’s how it should be in racing,” he stated. “If you take on risky moves and get it wrong, you get penalised. If you reach the limit, you get banned.”

Verstappen himself admitted his current tally of penalty points was far from ideal but remained unfazed. “There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “It’s not changing my approach. We just focus ahead and try to do the best we can every single time.”