George Russell didn’t hesitate to make his feelings on Max Verstappen clear after the seven-time champion’s “disappointing” and “very deliberate” crash as the race came to a close.

Verstappen and Russell collided soon after the Safety Car restart in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen appearing to drive straight on into the Mercedes.

George Russell’s “very deliberate” verdict on Verstappen collission

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

George Russell remains miffed after what he described as a “very deliberate” move by Max Verstappen saw the pair make contact towards the end of a Spanish Grand Prix dominated by McLaren.

Red Bull had opted for an audacious three-stop strategy for Verstappen, but when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes suffered a power unit failure and ended up beached in the gravel in the closing stages of the race, the gamble took a frustrating turn.

Verstappen pitted a fourth time, and the team fitted hard tyres – the only remaining set. At the restart, Verstappen slewed sideways out of the last corner, allowing the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc to muscle by into the final podium position.

Then came George Russell, hoping to wedge his Mercedes into the gap. Instead, he collided with Verstappen, and Verstappen ran wide. The reigning champion was advised to give back the position, and, seemingly in a heat of anger, drove directly into Russell as the Mercedes driver as he negotiated Turn 5.

Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty for the move, which dropped him down to 10th in the standings, while three penalty points have been added to his license.

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Russell admitted he was caught out by the incident, telling the media, including PlanetF1.com, that Verstappen’s move was “probably as surprising for you guys as it was for me.

“I don’t know what he was thinking, but at the end, I finished fourth, he finished 10th. Bit of an unnecessary manoeuvre.”

Asked if he felt the move was intentional, Russell stated that from his perspective, it certainly seemed to be the case.

“It felt very deliberate, to be honest,” he said.

“It’s something that I’ve seen numerous times in sim racing, and on iRacing. Never have I seen it in a Formula 1 race. So that was something new.

“It’s a bit of a shame, because, you know, Max is clearly one of the best drivers in the world, but manoeuvres like that are just totally unnecessary and sort of lets lets him down. It’s a shame for all the young kids looking up, aspiring to be Formula 1 drivers.

“I don’t know what he was thinking. In the end, I’m not going to lose sleep over it, because I ultimately benefited from from those antics.”

Pundits like Nico Rosberg called for harsher action, with the 2016 World Champion suggesting he should be disqualified for the incident.

“Honestly, I need to look back on it; if it was truly deliberate, then absolutely, because you cannot deliberately crash into another driving,” Russell said when asked about Rosberg’s opinion.

“We’re putting our lives on the line. We’re fortunate the cars are as safe as they are these days, but we shouldn’t take it for granted.

“As I said, it’s down to the stewards to determine if it’s deliberate or not.”

In 2024, Russell and Verstappen had something of a war of words in the closing stages of the season. Verstappen felt as if he’d been impeded in qualifying by Russell, only to earn a penalty himself for an unnecessarily slow cool-down lap.

Verstappen took to the media to say that he had lost respect for Russell as a result of the incident, while the Mercedes driver accused Verstappen of bullying.

But did that come into play during this Spanish Grand Prix incident? George Russell admitted that he didn’t know.

“It just seemed all very strange and bizarre. I really don’t know what was going through through his mind,” he said.

It ultimately harmed Verstappen more than anyone else, he claimed.

“[Verstappen] could have come back for fighting for the podium. You know, Charles really dropped off at the end, pushing those soft tyres too hard.

“Obviously, [Verstappen] was pretty frustrated being on the hard tyres. Lost out in the beginning, but it was still five laps to go.

“As I said, I’m not gonna lose sleep over it.”

Quizzed on whether or not he’d seen a driver do something like before in his career, Russell said, “Not in Formula 1. Maybe in Formula E.

“Yeah, maybe one British driver in Formula E.”

As for Max Verstappen, well — he said he’ll “bring the tissues” the next time the two have a run-in.

Read more: FIA penalise Max Verstappen as tempers flare in Russell Spain GP collision