In the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen caused quite a stir. After a restart, the Dutchman clashed with old rival George Russell. He appeared to deliberately steer his RB21 into Russell’s Mercedes. The incident resulted in a ten-second time penalty for him, causing him to lose significant ground in the championship. The foreign media have been harsh on Verstappen, suggesting he lived up to his old nickname ‘Mad Max’.
The Spanish Marca observed how Verstappen unnecessarily put himself in trouble by engaging in a battle with Russell. The journalist on duty warned that Max’s chances of a fifth title have significantly diminished. “His (Verstappen’s) stubbornness towards Russell, with whom he had issues last year, could cost him his fifth consecutive championship. He is 49 points behind Oscar Piastri, and that’s already too much. The question is clear: can anyone compete with the Australian and his McLaren? It doesn’t seem so, although Verstappen promises to fight and wants to stay in the race until the last race. He is the best of the losers. He also does that like a champion.”
The French added fuel to the fire. L’Équipe emphatically reported that Verstappen had ‘deliberately’ collided with Russell. “Mad Max makes his comeback in Barcelona,” the sports medium headlined. “The Dutchman pretended to let Russell pass before making contact with the Mercedes. A few seconds later, he let him pass anyway, causing him to fall back to fifth place. But the stewards immediately punished him for his wrong action and gave him a ten-second time penalty, causing him to fall back to tenth place.”
‘Bizarre Action’
Our eastern neighbors were also surprised by Max Verstappen‘s action. “Mercedes driver George Russell collided with the Dutchman during an overtaking maneuver,” wrote BILD. “Verstappen stayed ahead of him, but Red Bull instructed him to let the Brit pass to avoid a penalty. He did so – but only after he had collided with the Silberpfeil again. Bizarre! As a result, he immediately received a ten-second penalty, which resulted in a tenth place. A bitter setback in the fight for the world championship.”
Finally, the Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport described how Verstappen, who was also awarded three penalty points, now risks suspension. “He (Verstappen, ed.) tried to overtake Russell with an impossible maneuver. The result? Another collision and a ten-second penalty. In addition, the stewards gave Verstappen three penalty points on his license, bringing him to 11 out of the 12 allowed points. Watch out, Max – next time you’ll be suspended.”
