Claiming Max Verstappen’s actions at the Spanish Grand Prix were like something from a certain “Formula E” driver, Russell and his “choice comments” attracted the attention of Dan Ticktum, who believes he was the focus.

Verstappen and Russell were involved in a controversial collision late in the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen picking up a 10-second penalty and three Super Licence penalty points, an incident which Verstappen later admitted to instigating out of frustration.

George Russell and Max Verstappen clash: Dan Ticktum caught up in it?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Verstappen and Russell had engaged in battle down at Turn 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya following a late Safety Car restart, Verstappen taking to the run-off and determining that he was in the right to keep P4 as he returned to the track ahead of Russell.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team, however, made the call to let Russell through, and it looked like Verstappen was obliging at Turn 5, only for him to move right and collide with Russell who was coming around the outside.

Both drivers continued with Verstappen giving up the place cleanly by Turn 12, but the stewards took a dim view of that incident, giving Verstappen a 10-second penalty which dropped him to P10. They also applied three further points to his FIA Super Licence, moving him to within one point of incurring a one-race ban.

And as Russell responded to what went down following the race, he made a reference to the all-electric Formula E series and “one British driver”.

Asked by the media, including PlanetF1.com, whether he had ever seen such an incident in Formula 1, Russell replied: “Not in Formula 1. Maybe in Formula E.

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

And current Formula E driver Dan Ticktum believes that was a reference to him, and thus some “free publicity”, the 25-year-old Brit having earlier in his career served a two-year racing ban for deliberately causing a crash.

The incident in question happened in 2015, and saw Ticktum drive into his MSA Formula title rival Ricky Collard behind the Safety Car, overtaking several cars to do so, after the pair had been involved in an opening-lap skirmish.

Speaking in an Instagram story following the Spanish Grand Prix and Shanghai ePrix, Ticktum said: “Good evening, sports fans, I hope you’re all having a lovely Sunday. I’ve just had a very nice evening with the team and some of the guys from Porsche here in Shanghai. I’m just on the way back to the hotel.

“It has come to my attention, via the Twittersphere, that a certain driver in Formula One, not to name names, but his name is George Russell, has made some rather choice comments about a certain Formula E driver.

“He hasn’t named my name, but it’s quite obviously pointed at me.

“I’d like to address those comments that he made.

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“Number one, thank you for the free publicity. We’ll take that any day of the week. And two, while what Max did today was a little bit skeptical, to be likened to him at any point in my career is positive, if you ask me. Goodbye.”

The Spanish Grand Prix could yet prove a pivotal blow in Verstappen’s pursuit of a fifth straight World Championship, having fallen 49 points behind Drivers’ Championship leader Oscar Piastri who took a fifth win of the season in Barcelona.

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