“He Should Know Better,” Ex-F1 Team Owner Lambasts Max Verstappen for Ruining Everything at Spanish GP

Former Minardi team owner, Gian Carlo Minardi did not hold back from criticising Max Verstappen for his antics at the Spanish GP.

“He Should Know Better,” Ex-F1 Team Owner Lambasts Max Verstappen for Ruining Everything at Spanish GP

Max Verstappen (image via XPB images)

Max Verstappen is at the center of attention for the wrong reasons after the Spanish GP. The four-time world champion made a controversial move on George Russell that led to the two drivers making contact. Now, former Minardi boss Gian Carlo Minardi has slammed Verstappen and Red Bull for their weekend at Barcelona.

Red Bull has not had the best of starts to a season in 2025. Max Verstappen has barely managed to stay in contention against McLaren this year. The car performance issues have played a role in making the Dutchman more frustrated on-track.

During the Spanish GP, Verstappen found himself fighting for grip while battling against George Russell at the restart. The 27-year-old went off-track and was instructed to give back the position. However, the Red Bull star ended up colliding with Russell mid-corner.

Gian Carlo Minardi gave a 7/10 rating for Red Bull Racing’s way of handling the entire weekend. However, he was stricter for Max Verstappen. The former team boss claimed that Verstappen only deserved a 6/10 rating for his antics in Barcelona. Minardi asserted that the four-time world champion simply ruined everything with his move against Russell, something that was not expected from someone of his caliber.

I give Red Bull a seven. The first part of the season was very well managed, but then they made that mistake at the end. For Verstappen, I am a bit stricter, and I give him a six. He started strong, but ruined everything with that action [with Russell]. He should know better with four world championships.

Gian Carlo Minardi told it.motorsport.com

Gian Carlo Minardi is not the first driver to criticize Max Verstappen’s actions. Following the race, former F1 champion Nico Rosberg called for the Dutchman to be disqualified while Johnny Herbert agreed with this demand.

Gian Carlo Minardi pinpoints ‘biggest mistake’ in Max Verstappen’s race

A lot went wrong for Max Verstappen in Barcelona. The 27-year-old was struggling to match the pace of front runners throughout the weekend. There was some hope for the Dutchman with a three-stop strategy from Red Bull. Unfortunately, even this call went down the drain following a late Safety Car, forcing Verstappen to box for a set of hard tires.

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (via F1)

The Dutch driver was not happy to have a set of hards for the restart. Though, Red Bull told him that it was the only tire available. Minardi declared that this was the biggest mistake in Verstappen’s race. The former team boss was confident that things would’ve been far different had the Red Bull star not pitted during the Safety Car. He pointed out that gaining track position would’ve allowed the reigning world champion to secure a podium.

The biggest mistake, in my opinion, is the hard tires. I can even say that when they had not put him in, he managed to keep the third position. I seriously think he wouldn’t have finished tenth anyway, for one very simple reason: he would have started first, ahead of the McLaren, and the whole bunch would have had to attack.

Gian Carlo Minardi added

Max Verstappen and Red Bull will need to go back and analyze their mistakes from the Spanish GP. The driver and the team both made some errors that ended up snowballing into a disaster. While Milton Keynes could’ve tried to keep Verstappen out during the Safety Car, the reigning world champion should’ve kept his composure before his clash with Russell. The race might be over, but its repercussions might be felt by the Dutch driver till the end of the season.

Read More: Ex-F1 Team Boss Asserts Max Verstappen ‘Lost His Mind’ over George Russell Clash at Spanish GP