Verstappen-Russell Clash at Spanish GP: Stewards Back Max Despite…
Max Verstappen found himself at the center of controversy during the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix after a late-race collision with George Russell, leading to a significant penalty and fallout with his Red Bull team. Despite receiving a team order to let Russell pass, Verstappen defied instructions, prompting a series of incidents that drew attention from fans, pundits, and race officials.
The trouble began when Verstappen, under pressure and nursing older hard tyres, was told by his team to yield fourth place to Russell. This came after an earlier incident on the restart when Verstappen ran wide at Turn 1, rejoining the track ahead of the Mercedes driver. Red Bull feared that the move might be deemed illegal by the stewards and instructed their driver to give up the position voluntarily to avoid a possible sanction.
However, Verstappen was visibly frustrated with the call and moments later appeared to retaliate on track. On lap 64, he made contact with Russell in what looked like a deliberate move at Turn 5. The stewards investigated and penalized Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. This demoted him from fifth to tenth place in the final race standings and significantly hurt his position in the drivers’ championship.
After the race, Verstappen made comments suggesting the intent behind the collision didn’t matter, signaling a lack of remorse over the controversial clash. His actions also resulted in three penalty points being added to his superlicence, bringing his total to 11 within a 12-month span—just one shy of triggering an automatic one-race ban. With two races coming up before any points expire, Verstappen now faces the very real threat of suspension if he commits another offense.
Interestingly, the stewards later released an official statement clarifying the earlier Turn 1 incident, where Verstappen had run wide but maintained his position ahead of Russell. Contrary to Red Bull’s assumption, the stewards concluded that Verstappen had the right to the corner and that no penalty or position swap was necessary. “From the radio communications, it was clear that the driver of car 1 was asked by his team to ‘give the position back’ to car 63 for what they perceived to be an earlier breach by car 1 for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage (in fact, we had later determined that we would take no further action in relation to that incident),” the stewards’ report stated.
The result was a bitter pill for Verstappen to swallow. Not only did he lose vital championship points—dropping him to 49 points behind Oscar Piastri, who claimed his fifth victory of the season—but the episode also strained relations within his team. Verstappen’s post-race comments suggested he was unhappy with Red Bull’s judgment in telling him to relinquish the position in the first place.
Meanwhile, Russell’s race result remained unaffected, and the stewards deemed another late-race clash between Verstappen and Charles Leclerc as not worthy of further action. Despite the tension and controversy, Russell refused to escalate the situation publicly, though many in the paddock criticized Verstappen’s aggressive driving.
The Spanish Grand Prix marked a low point in Verstappen’s season, turning what could have been a solid fifth-place finish into a damaging tenth. With his penalty points dangerously close to the limit and increasing scrutiny over his conduct, Verstappen now faces pressure not just to perform on the track, but also to maintain composure and avoid further disciplinary issues in the coming races. As the championship battle intensifies, Verstappen’s ability to manage both speed and temperament could be crucial to his title hopes.
