Max Verstappen has admitted that the incident with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix was a blemish on an otherwise flawless season. The Dutch driver was instructed at the time to let rival George Russell pass him. He disagreed with this order and, out of frustration, allowed the Brit to overtake him, only to deliberately steer his RB21 into the Mercedes. A candid Verstappen acknowledges that he crossed the line then, but says he has since learned from his mistakes.
In an interview with Viaplay, Verstappen reflected on his Formula 1 season. With three Grand Prix races left, he must consider the possibility of losing his title to one of the McLaren drivers. Overall, Verstappen is satisfied with his performance, although he also expressed self-criticism. He showed remorse for the incident in Barcelona and admitted that his anger got the better of him there.
‘Satisfied with my season’
“I am satisfied with my season,” said Verstappen. “The only point of criticism is the situation in Barcelona. What happened there was obviously not great, but it also stemmed from the fact that I really cared. I could have said, ‘My car is not fast, I’ll let him go.'”
He was referring to the restart after the safety car. Frustrated with the hard tires on his car, he made a mistake in the final corner, after which he was overtaken by Charles Leclerc. He was then attacked by George Russell, who forced him onto the runoff area.Red Bull subsequently instructed Max Verstappen to yield his position to Russell. The Dutchman complied reluctantly – but not before giving the Mercedes a nudge in the fifth turn. He received a ten-second time penalty, which dropped him back to tenth place. Without justifying his action, Verstappen tried to explain the incident afterwards. “Part of it is because when I get out of the car, I can’t accept it if I haven’t given everything,” he said. “Then I get angry with myself. I can’t commit eighty percent; I have to get out of the car feeling that I’ve pushed to the limit.”
‘Then everything turned red’
“I was angry about what happened at the restart,” Verstappen recalled. “And then about what happened in the first turn. When I was then told I had to give back the position, everything turned red for a moment. That was of course not okay, but you learn from it. Such moments will probably not occur again.”
Despite the sometimes deficient RB21, Verstappen is positive about his season. “In terms of performance, I am satisfied, especially with the qualifications – while that, especially at the beginning of my career, was one of my weaker points.”
Although Verstappen had several difficult weekends, think of Silverstone and Hungary, he is convinced that he often got the maximum out of his car. “You always have to look where you left something,” he explained. “Could I have been more consistent or better? Maybe. But given the material I had, I think I generally got the maximum out of it – and that’s positive.”
