Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has strongly criticized the stewards’ decision during the Spanish Grand Prix. Max Verstappen found himself in a heated battle with George Russell in the closing stages of the race. In the process, he deliberately collided with his rival’s Mercedes, resulting in a costly time penalty. According to Villeneuve, however, Russell should have already been penalized for his actions at the restart, even before the controversial collision with Verstappen.
Following a late restart behind the safety car in Barcelona, Russell forced his Red Bull rival wide in the first corner, causing Verstappen to be pushed off his line. Verstappen reluctantly conceded, but not before he had seemingly deliberately collided with Russell.
The incident resulted in a ten-second time penalty and three penalty points on the Dutchman’s racing license. As a result, he finished tenth and lost valuable points compared to his title rivals. Moreover, he now has eleven penalty points – with one more penalty, he will automatically be suspended for one race. His first penalty points will expire on June 30, after the Austrian Grand Prix.
Is there a Double Standard among FIA Stewards?
Russell escaped without penalty, much to the frustration of Jacques Villeneuve. “It wasn’t intentional,” the Canadian said about Max Verstappen‘s move. “It happened in the heat of the moment,” he explained to BetVictorCasino. “Verstappen wanted his position back immediately, but completely messed it up. Then people immediately claimed he had done it on purpose. The strange thing is that Russell actually deserved a penalty – he hit Verstappen on the rear wheel going into the first corner. According to the rules, this is considered forcing a collision and pushing another driver off the track. So why didn’t he get a penalty for that?”
Villeneuve suggested that there is a double standard. “If there are rules, they should apply to everyone,” said the former champion. “Russell deserved a penalty.” Verstappen saw important championship points disappear due to the incident. “He knows he doesn’t have the best car, and to still achieve results, he has to drive on the limit – or even beyond it,” Villeneuve concluded. “At some point, this leads to errors in judgement, which makes his fight for the world title much more difficult.”
