George Russell Declares Max Verstappen Got ‘Punished More’ over Spanish GP Collision

George Russell believes that Max Verstappen received the shorter end of the stick as he got punished more in the Spanish GP fiasco.

George Russell Declares Max Verstappen Got ‘Punished More’ over Spanish GP Collision

George Russell (via Getty), Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

The Spanish GP turned out to be a weekend to forget for Max Verstappen as he suffered from the consequences of his actions. During the safety car restart at around Lap 60, George Russell collided with Verstappen and caused the latter to leave the track. When the Dutchman was asked to give back the position, he intentionally collided with Russell, which had greater repercussions. Now, the Briton issues an uninterested statement on the 27-year-old’s tactics in Barcelona.

Max Verstappen was left seething after George Russell collided with him, and he was the one asked to give the position back. In a typical Verstappen manner, he showcased his anger by bumping his car into Russell on the final lap. Moreover, the 27-year-old was hit with a 10s penalty for gaining an advantage off track. Still, the Briton remains unfazed and takes no part in the blame game for the late-race drama.

George Russell reckons that, from his perspective, he just got crashed into by Verstappen for logically no reason at the Spanish GP. The Briton questioned the reason and the 27-year-old’s thinking behind the petty tactics towards the end of the race. Still, Russell remained delighted as he could continue his race with the little damage to his car, as the Dutchman got the shorter end of the stick and was penalized more than the former.

From my perspective, I was just crashed into. I don’t really know, why? Or, what the thinking was behind it. In the end, glad to have continued with little damage and ultimately, it punished him a lot more than me.

George Russell said in a post-race interview

Russell even questioned the interviewer about his candid opinion on the fiasco and Max Verstappen’s reaction. The Briton asked if he was surprised by the incident and by witnessing the Dutchman’s trivial antics. Funnily enough, the 27-year-old reassured the viewers that he shook his head and accepted whatever the former had to say on the matter.

Does it surprise you [the interviewer] with the… [laughs]. Errr… for the record, you were shaking your head, so… for the viewers.

George Russell added

George Russell asserts ‘no conversation required’ with Max Verstappen over Spanish GP fiasco

George Russell and Max Verstappen haven’t always been the greatest of friends, as apparent from their multiple clashes on and off the grid. While the two have remained respectful of one another, Russell hasn’t hesitated to comment on Verstappen’s hostile attitude at times. Now, the 27-year-old reckons that there is no point talking about the incident with the Dutchman at the Spanish GP.

Max Verstappen and George Russell (via Red Bull Content Pool)
Max Verstappen and George Russell (via Red Bull Content Pool)

Russell pointed out that he was glad to finish the race and score good points after finishing in P4. The Briton reiterated that he was dumbfounded by Verstappen’s thinking behind the intentional collision. The Mercedes star asserted that Red Bull was the one who lost a lot after the Dutchman’s petty move. As such, the 27-year-old insisted that there was no conversation required anymore on the matter.

So, from my side glad that I managed to finish the race, not really sure what he was thinking because he lost himself and his team a lot of points. So, no conversation really required.

George Russell noted

Max Verstappen was on par for a P4 finish, if not a podium finish, before the extremely disappointing situation at the end of the race. The Dutchman has lost massive points over the weekend after being dropped to P10, as he now falls even more behind in the drivers’ title contention. Hence, the reigning world champion needs to get back into the game and work hard to return to his winning ways.

Read More: Oscar Piastri Left ‘Surprised’ by Max Verstappen’s Strategy Before Spanish GP Chaos