George Russell has commented on his clash with Max Verstappen during the final stages of the Spanish Grand Prix. The two encountered each other on the track after the race restart, resulting in the Dutchman eventually falling back to tenth place. Russell was not surprised by the outcome of the duel between the two: ‘That’s just how Max races.’
For a long time, it seemed that the race had already been decided, with Max Verstappen expected to cross the finish line in third place. However, a crash by Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the final stages brought a safety car onto the track. After the restart, Verstappen was on hard tyres and soon saw Charles Leclerc pass him. The Dutchman then also defended against George Russell, who was driving behind him, and the two collided. The Mercedes driver reflects on the moment after the race.
“From my perspective, he just crashed into me,” Russell explains to the F1TV cameras. “Why, or what the thought process behind it was, I don’t know. I’m glad I didn’t have much damage, and in the end, he (Verstappen) suffered more than I did.”
‘That’s how Max races’
This is not the first time Verstappen and Russell have encountered each other on the track. The two have previously collided during the sprint race in Baku two years ago, and also met during the qualifying in Qatar in 2024. Therefore, the outcome of the clash in Spain did not really surprise the Brit.
“I mean, were you surprised?” the driver asks the reporter on duty. “He shakes his head no, for the viewers at home,” the Brit then describes the journalist’s reaction. “That’s just how Max races. He was in fourth place, I was in fifth. I finished fourth, he finished tenth. So I’m glad I was able to finish the race. I don’t exactly know what he was thinking, as it cost both him and his team a lot of points. I don’t need to have a conversation with him.”
