Red Bull were involved in major drama at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix after Max Verstappen was handed a penalty for hitting George Russell.
The reigning champion was handed a 10-second time penalty post-race, which demoted him from fourth to 10th. He now sits 49 points behind Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship as hopes of a fifth consecutive triumph continue to fade.
Verstappen’s frustration was evident as he defended hard into turn one during a late safety car restart at the Spanish Grand Prix. After some frantic action, Red Bull had put him on a less than favourable strategy, as he battled on cold, hard tyres, compared to his rivals’ relatively new softs.
Helmut Marko revealed what Verstappen’s data said about his Russell incident, after running deep into turn five and bumping into the side of the Mercedes. He had let off the accelerator before getting back onto the power.
Following the altercation, Verstappen apologised in Red Bull’s post-race debrief, aware that he had left plenty of points on the table. Whether or not they will turn out to be costly won’t be known for months, but it will certainly have been frustrating for his team, who felt a podium was there for the taking.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko makes new Charles Leclerc claim after Max Verstappen clash at the Spanish Grand Prix
Red Bull made Max Verstappen strategy decision in ‘panic’ that nobody can justify
The whole reason why Verstappen found himself defending from the likes of Russell and Charles Leclerc at the safety car restart was because he was on far more difficult tyres. A fresh set of hards is not even remotely comparable to even a slightly older set of softs.
F1 fans praised Verstappen’s reaction to the ordeal after he apologised for his actions the following day on social media. He’s in a precarious position now that he’s just one penalty point from an automatic one-race ban.
Journalist Ralf Bach understands that ‘nobody’ within the team understands why Verstappen was put on new hard tyres, rather than slightly older softs for the restart. It was a decision that cost them dearly.
“So self-proclaimed future Nobel Prize winners like at Red Bull should have known that, and if they had asked them beforehand, he would have said no, either I stay out or give me the seven laps on soft tyres,” he said.
“They’re all the way better than what you gave me there, that’s the truth. That’s what happened now, it can happen.
“But that’s actually what led to all the chaos and to be honest, there’s nobody at Red Bull who really knows why they did that [hard tyre choice]. It was a bit of a panic decision, whoever made it, and it was a wrong decision. I’m sorry.”
READ MORE: George Russell’s ‘disrespectful’ Max Verstappen claim now looks well justified after Spanish Grand Prix clash
Why Max Verstappen needs to be very careful over the next few Formula 1 races
The next two Formula 1 races are going to be a little bit nervy for Verstappen, who will not have any penalty points wiped from his record until the end of June.
It means that even the smallest of incidents could tip him over the 12 penalty-point requirement for a one-race ban, damaging his title hopes.
Claiming a fifth consecutive triumph this year would see him become just the second driver in history, after Michael Schumacher, to achieve the feat.
F1 fans think Verstappen deserved a ‘clear’ penalty for his actions on Sunday, and his next two Grands Prix will now be spent on thin ice after his latest punishment.
