Nico Rosberg suggested an instant disqualification from the Spanish Grand Prix for Max Verstappen was “the only way”.

That huge call came in relation to a late collision between Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell, Verstappen seemingly having yielded P4 to Russell as demanded by Red Bull, only to bang wheels with the Mercedes driver at Turn 5 late in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen Spain GP fireworks: DQ warranted?

Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli triggered the Safety Car as he came to a stop in the Turn 10 gravel, a development which had the frontrunners heading for the pit lane.

Leader and eventual race winner Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Russell all pitted, but Verstappen found himself as the only one on hard tyres for the closing laps compared to softs for those around him, Red Bull informing their driver that this was their only option.

The Grand Prix resumed on Lap 61 of 66 and both Leclerc and Russell attempted a pass on Verstappen down at Turn 1. Leclerc came through, but Russell’s attempt had Verstappen taking to the escape road and returning to the track P4 ahead of the Mercedes.

Verstappen felt that position was rightfully his, but Red Bull were not convinced, as race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase made the call to Verstappen to let Russell through, a verdict which did not sit well with Verstappen.

It looked like he had obliged at Turn 5, but would move right and bang wheels with Russell, as Verstappen returned to P4.

2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg – on the Sky F1 commentary duties – took a very dim view of the incident.

“He needs to get black flagged,” Rosberg declared on Verstappen.

“He just crashed into Russell on purpose just to prove a point.

“That was horrible. That did not look good. That’s bad, bad, bad. That is seriously bad.”

While Rosberg stressed that “Verstappen was in the right” to insist that he should rightfully keep the position over Russell, he issued further criticism of the Red Bull driver after the incident.

“He just rams him, full on,” Rosberg continued.

“You need to black flag that. There’s no other way.

“But Max was in the right in the first instance and then the team went against Max and they caused him to boil over.”

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News soon came through on the course of action which the FIA had taken, that being to issue Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty.

Rosberg felt that one fell short of the mark.

“10-second time penalty,” Rosberg acknowledged. “That’s a very lenient one from my point of view.”

It did though mean that Verstappen felt to P10 at the chequered flag, meaning he takes just one point away from the Spanish Grand Prix.

“Max just gave away a load of championship points there,” Rosberg concluded.

Verstappen is now 49 points behind Drivers’ Championship leader Piastri.

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