Max Verstappen drew the ire of many former drivers with a controversial move during the Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA ruled that the Dutchman had deliberately steered his RB21 into George Russell‘s Mercedes. Nico Rosberg suggested he should have been shown the black flag. Damon Hill, who has often been critical of Verstappen, was not surprised that the four-time world champion lost his cool.
Verstappen has since expressed regret for the incident with George Russell. The driver was annoyed with his team, who put him on hard tyres for the restart and incorrectly told him he had to give his place back to the Brit. This led to a desperate attempt by Verstappen to stay ahead of Russell – with all the ensuing consequences. The FIA handed him a ten-second time penalty, causing the Dutchman to drop to tenth place in the final standings.
‘Drama Guaranteed’
Damon Hill, who has been criticising Verstappen’s driving behaviour for years, scrutinised the incident on his X-account. “It was a bit thoughtless,” said the former world champion. “Did he perhaps think he had done enough to satisfy the ‘give back the place’ part? The rest was over the top, as usual.” Verstappen’s team also came under fire: “At Red Bull they fight with everything they have,” Hill continued. “But like a wounded animal, they are dangerous to approach. The title keeps swinging. We have a long way to go. Drama guaranteed.”
While Verstappen faced criticism, Hill was very positive about race winner Oscar Piastri. The Australian won from pole position and extended his lead in the world championship. “Well done, Oscar Piastri,” Hill reported. “He had everything under control thanks to a dominant pole lap.”
