Max Verstappen in Red Bull ‘protest’ over….read more

Max Verstappen in Red Bull ‘protest’ over….read more

Max Verstappen found himself at the center of controversy during the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, as tensions flared following a series of incidents involving Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Despite following team instructions, Verstappen’s frustration was evident and ultimately led to a costly penalty that dropped him out of the points.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed after the race that Verstappen did follow team orders—albeit reluctantly. During the race, Verstappen was instructed to give fourth place to George Russell after an incident between the two at turn one, shortly after a safety car restart. The team, anticipating a potential penalty from the FIA for the aggressive maneuver, made the call as a precautionary measure. However, Verstappen was clearly unhappy with the decision, expressing his anger over the team radio.

According to Marko, Verstappen believed Russell was at fault, claiming the Mercedes driver had lost control, which forced him off track. “Max knows the regulations inside and out,” Marko said in an interview with Austria’s Servus TV. “He immediately said Russell was out of control, and that’s why he had to take evasive action.” Within the team, the consensus was that the incident was a 50-50 call, and given the timing—immediately after the safety car—the team felt the penalty risk was higher, prompting them to err on the side of caution.

Despite disagreeing with the decision, Verstappen complied with the order to give back the position, though Marko admitted it was done “under protest.” However, moments later, the race took another dramatic turn. As Verstappen appeared to slow to relinquish the position, he then suddenly accelerated and made contact with Russell in what many perceived to be a retaliatory move. The stewards reviewed the incident and handed Verstappen a 10-second time penalty, demoting him from fifth to tenth place after the race.

To add to the drama, there had been a separate contact earlier during the safety car restart when Leclerc’s Ferrari appeared to collide with Verstappen’s car on the start-finish straight. Marko commented on this as well, suggesting that Leclerc was the aggressor. “On the straight, I’d say Leclerc drove into Max’s car,” he stated. However, that incident did not lead to any further action from the stewards.

Interestingly, the FIA later clarified that Verstappen was not actually required to give the position back to Russell, ruling that no formal penalty would have been applied for the initial contact at turn one. This development would have likely exacerbated Verstappen’s frustration, as the team’s conservative strategy ended up backfiring.

The series of incidents clearly affected Verstappen’s mood, as he gave a fiery post-race interview with Sky Sports F1’s Rachel Brookes. His visible irritation and harsh tone highlighted a disappointing race day where he was never in true contention for the win.

Former world champion Nico Rosberg weighed in on the controversy, arguing that Verstappen’s retaliatory move against Russell should have resulted in disqualification rather than just a time penalty. Despite the harsh criticism and the loss of points, Red Bull seemed focused on minimizing further damage by complying with FIA expectations—even if it didn’t yield the outcome they had hoped for.

Verstappen now heads into the next round in Canada trailing championship leader Oscar Piastri by 49 points. With the title race heating up and tensions running high, all eyes will be on how the Dutchman responds following a chaotic and emotionally charged Spanish Grand Prix.