Breaking: Red Bull Slammed as Verstappen Faces Backlash Af..read more

Max Verstappen faces a potential F1 race ban after a controversial clash with George Russell in Barcelona. Red Bull’s tyre strategy is under fire, with Guenther Steiner naming them “W***ers of the Week.” Here’s the full breakdown of the fallout.

Red Bull Slammed as Verstappen Faces Backlash After Barcelona Meltdown

The drama from Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona is far from over, with Formula 1 fans and insiders still buzzing over Max Verstappen’s costly late-race incident. The Red Bull star, known for his aggressive style, is now at the center of a growing storm after colliding with George Russell in a controversial moment that’s sparked criticism from many directions.

Verstappen, a four-time world champion, was penalized after the FIA determined he unfairly passed Russell and then failed to return the position in a clean manner. In response, officials slapped him with a 10-second time penalty that dropped him from fifth place to tenth in the final race results. To make matters worse, he also received three penalty points on his super licence—bringing his total to 11 out of a possible 12. One more, and he’ll be facing a one-race suspension.

While Verstappen has shouldered much of the blame, several analysts and former F1 insiders argue that the problem isn’t entirely his fault. Many are pointing fingers at Red Bull’s strategy team, and more specifically, at the decision-making that unfolded in the latter stages of the race.

Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase came under fire for instructing him to give the place back to Russell, advice which has stirred debate among fans and experts. Although the FIA later clarified that Verstappen had indeed breached racing rules, some believe the team’s guidance left him vulnerable.

The bigger issue, however, may have come earlier in the race, when Red Bull opted to switch Verstappen onto hard tyres following a safety car restart. That move, many now believe, was the real turning point. The hards didn’t perform well enough in the final laps, and Verstappen struggled to defend his position—leading directly to the heated battle with Russell.

One outspoken critic of Red Bull’s tyre decision is Guenther Steiner, the former Haas team principal and fan favorite from Netflix’s Drive to Survive. Steiner, known for his blunt commentary and no-nonsense style, addressed the situation on this week’s Red Flags podcast. At the end of each episode, he dishes out two awards: “Rockstars” and “W***ers”—the latter reserved for the most disappointing performers of the week.

Initially, Steiner considered handing the dishonor to either Verstappen himself or the FIA. But after reflecting on how the race unfolded, he squarely blamed Red Bull’s strategy misstep.

“Who is the wer? Max? The FIA? We discussed it at length here,” Steiner said. “But Red Bull, they put Max on the hard tyre. They did a perfect job until then, and then they did one quick move—and we declare them as the wers of the week. That is how we do it.”

With just one penalty point separating Verstappen from a potential race ban, the stakes are now higher than ever. His earliest points won’t expire until June 30, meaning he needs to survive the next two races without incident. One misstep, and he could be watching from the sidelines.

As F1 heads into the next phase of the season, all eyes will be on Verstappen—not just for his racing, but to see if he can keep his cool and avoid further controversy.