Damon Hill, the 1996 World Champion and former Sky F1 pundit, says Max Verstappen went “over the top as usual” in his clash with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen collided with Mercedes driver Russell in the closing laps in Barcelona on Sunday, moments after the Red Bull star had been instructed by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to give up his position.

Damon Hill: Max Verstappen went ‘over the top as usual’ in George Russell clash

Verstappen slowed on the short straight towards the slow left hander of Turn 5, before accelerating on the approach to the corner, making firm contact with Russell’s car in the process.

The Red Bull driver finished fifth on the road in Spain, but was demoted to 10th in the final classification after incurring a 10-second time penalty.

Nico Rosberg, commentating on the race for Sky F1, was among those of the belief that Verstappen got off lightly, arguing that his move against Russell was worthy of a disqualification.

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Hill has been a vocal critic of Verstappen over recent years, frequently taking issue with his aggressive approach in wheel-to-wheel combat.

And the former Williams driver has accused the reigning four-time World Champion of once again crossing the line in Barcelona.

Asked for his view on Verstappen’s move, Hill wrote on social media: “It was a little ill judged.

“Maybe he thought he’d done enough to satisfy the ‘giving back the place’ bit?

“The rest was over the top. As usual.”

Hill went on to insist that Verstappen and Red Bull remain “dangerous” in the F1 2025 title race despite the reigning four-time World Champion falling 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, who took his fifth victory of the season in Spain.

He added: “Well done Oscar Piastri. Had it all under control from a dominant pole.

“Red Bull are fighting with everything they’ve got. But like a wounded animal, they are dangerous to approach.

“Title seesaw continues. Long way to go. Drama guaranteed.”

Hill’s latest criticism of Verstappen comes after an entertaining war of words between the pair during the Red Bull driver’s fourth straight title-winning season in 2024.

After a clash with Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris at last year’s Mexican Grand Prix, Hill famously likened Verstappen to Dick Dastardly, the villain of the classic childrens’ cartoon series Wacky Races.

Hill announced that he would leave Sky F1 at the end of 2024 just weeks later and commented earlier this year that he would “like to think” that his views on Verstappen did not influence the broadcaster’s decision.

Johnny Herbert, the former F1 racer and fellow ex-Sky F1 pundit, revealed at the time of Hill’s departure that the 1996 World Champion was left “very unhappy” with the public reaction to his views on Verstappen.

Hill also took aim at Verstappen in the aftermath of this year’s Australian Grand Prix after four-time World Champion Alain Prost likened the Red Bull driver to the late F1 legend Niki Lauda.

Responding to Prost’s praise of Verstappen’s “directness”, Hill said: “I agree with that. He never misses a beat.

“But Lauda drove with his mind, not his fists.”

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In addition to his 10-second time penalty, Verstappen was also handed three penalty points by the FIA, putting him just one away from a one-race ban.

Drivers automatically trigger a one-race ban if they hit 12 penalty points within a 12-month period, with Verstappen sitting on 11 after the Spanish Grand Prix.

Former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen became the first to be banned under the current system last year with the Dane forced to sit out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s tally of penalty points is currently not scheduled to decrease until June 30, when his two points for causing a collision with Lando Norris at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix drop out of the 12-month window.

It means Verstappen must navigate the next two race weekends in Canada and Austria without adding to his tally.

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