McLaren driver Lando Norris quipped that Max Verstappen‘s move on George Russell in the closing stages of the Monaco Grand Prix was reminiscent of the Mario Kart video game.

Norris’s McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri collected his fifth victory of the F1 2025 season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, extending his lead in the World Championship in the process.

Lando Norris compares Max Verstappen, George Russell clash to Mario Kart

A strategic affair erupted in the closing stages after the Safety Car was deployed following a power unit issue for Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with Verstappen bemused to have been switched on to hard tyres by his Red Bull team.

Verstappen almost spun on the exit of the final corner at the restart before making slight contact with Charles Leclerc on the main straight as the Ferrari driver passed him for third.

Go deeper: Understanding Red Bull driver Max Verstappen

👉 Jos Verstappen: The F1 racer turned ruthless mentor behind Max Verstappen’s supreme F1 talent

👉 Revealed: The three rules introduced by the FIA because of Max Verstappen

Russell also had a look into Turn 1 and touched Verstappen, who went off track to retain his position ahead of the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen was then informed over team radio to hand the place back to Russell, with the four-time World Champion aghast at the request from his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

The Dutchman initially slowed to let Russell through on the short straight approaching Turn 5, only to make firm contact with the Mercedes in the middle of the corner.

The Red Bull driver was hit with a 10-second penalty for the offence, dropping from fifth to 10th in the final classification.

Verstappen’s late-race meltdown was the talk of the post-race cooldown room as the top three prepared for the podium ceremony, with Leclerc informing the McLaren drivers of the Red Bull man’s eventful end to the race.

Referring to Verstappen’s save at the final corner at the restart, Leclerc said: “At exit of 14, I thought he would put it in the wall.”

Norris: “What happened to Max? He finished 10th.”

Piastri: “Eh?”

Leclerc: “He got a penalty.”

Piastri: “Ah.”

The drivers were then shown a replay of Verstappen’s save, with Piastri reacting: “Oh my God!”

Leclerc: “Look at that! And then we touched.”

Norris: “You almost touch here, huh?”

Leclerc: “No, we touched here.”

Piastri initially thought that Verstappen was penalised for his initial collision with Russell.

Piastri: “He got a penalty for that?”

Norris: “Ah, he let him past?”

The key incident between Verstappen and Russell then appears on screen, with Norris unable to resist a quip at the Red Bull driver’s expense.

Piastri: “Oh!”

Leclerc: “Oh my God.”

Norris: “I’ve done that before. In Mario Kart.”

More on Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing from PlanetF1.com

👉 Max Verstappen news

👉 Red Bull news

Piastri then seemed to highlight the marbles – discarded bits of tyre rubber sitting off the racing line – as a potential factor behind Verstappen’s final clash with Russell, admitting he struggled to make Turn 1 after going off line to lap Alpine driver Franco Colapinto during the race.

Piastri: “How bad was it when you were on the marbles, though? I passed Colapinto on the straight, I tried to turn for Turn 1 and was just like [mimics understeer with hands].

Leclerc: “Yeah. When Max was overtaking me on fresh tyres, I was just trying to stay in the middle so he was going all the way to the marbles!”

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