Brundle suggests McLaren and Ferrari could “goad” Verstappen to trigger race ban

Max Verstappen finds himself worryingly close to a race ban. The reigning champion has accumulated 11 penalty points over the last year, with the driver collecting his latest three following his controversial clash with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix. Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle sees this as an opportunity for Ferrari and McLaren, who have the chance to lure the Dutchman into making another mistake.

The Barcelona weekend was a difficult one for Verstappen, who was angered after being instructed to give Russell track position when he left the track in the closing stages of the race. Nearing Turn 5, the driver appeared to be slowing down for the Mercedes driver, but as Russell turned into the corner, the two came together. 

“I don’t think he was trying to intentionally crash into me. He wanted to just sort of scare me a bit, but he just misjudged it. Again, it wasn’t going to scare me, it was just all a bit surprising,” the Briton said ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

Running an analysis of the incident alongside former driver Karun Chandhok, Brundle offered his advice to both Ferrari and McLaren. He suggested that the drivers could provoke Verstappen into making another mistake resulting in a potential race ban – a result that could change the outlook of the season for the two teams and protect them from a team that looks to be gaining momentum in the constructors’ standings.

“He’s an aggressive driver. He was from the get-go in Formula 1, and that’s how he rock and roll,” Brundle said on Verstappen. “You can’t cherry pick the bits you like about a sports person; that’s how Max goes racing, and he’s won the last four World Championships.

“And he would say, tell me exactly which bit of that is completely wrong. That’s how he is.

“If I was a Mercedes, Ferrari, particularly a McLaren driver, I’d be goading him to get those extra [penalty] points,” Brundle continued. “Because I think subconsciously, he knows he’s got to be a touch more careful.”

Despite a level of criticism around his driving, Verstappen’s technical excellence can’t be doubted, and Brundle agrees.

“He’s got such amazing car control that he can place his car – he knows the rules. He chances his luck, and more and more, he’s starting to lose out on that.”