Christian Horner justifies Max Verstappen’s Spanish GP clash with George Russell, citing emotional instinct seen in F1 greats like Senna.
Christian Horner has revisited the reasons why Red Bull asked Max Verstappen to let George Russell retake his position in Spain — a decision that triggered Verstappen’s angry reaction and ultimately led to the deliberate collision with the Mercedes F1 driver.
“We have a process,” Horner explained. “The issue is that you only have one lap to make that decision, according to the regulations. The footage showed that, axle to axle, George was ahead. George was very vocal on the radio, saying ‘he has to give it back, he has to give it back.’”
Horner admitted Red Bull feared a penalty if Verstappen didn’t let Russell through, pointing out that the Dutchman had previously been penalized in Jeddah. However, in Saudi Arabia, the penalty was for cutting a chicane and intentionally missing the corner exit to stay ahead.
“It was incredibly marginal. Of course, the question was whether he still had the car under control. George would say yes, but as we painfully learned in Jeddah, everything comes down to the position of the front axle.”
Red Bull still tried to get input from the stewards, but to no avail: “The stewards had been contacted. We asked race control for their feedback, but nothing was done.”
“So you’re left trying to anticipate what the three stewards and the race director are thinking. At that moment, we thought that for the sake of two points, we had to give up the place. That was the decision we made, and it really was incredibly marginal.”
The Briton confirmed once again that Verstappen apologized to the team: “Max apologized to the team. He knows the penalty that followed was harsh, and you always learn in life. Certainly, lessons will be taken from this race.”
Horner acknowledged that Verstappen can sometimes react harshly in the heat of the moment, and he believes that’s part of who he is as a driver. He compared Verstappen to moments of rage from Ayrton Senna — who deliberately took out Alain Prost — and Michael Schumacher, who pulled the same move on Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
“He’s a driver who races with a lot of emotion, and that’s partly what gives him his brilliance — the emotion he brings to his driving. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and sometimes you make errors in judgment, just like all the greats did, whether it’s Senna or Schumacher, or any of the great champions over the years.”
Yet there are multiple world champions who never deliberately collided with their rivals, contrary to Senna, Schumacher, or Verstappen.
And above all, Verstappen’s issue is the recurring nature of such aggressive attacks — from relentless attempts to overtake or defend since 2019, to deliberate moves seeking contact, like those involving Lewis Hamilton in Jeddah in 2021, or Lando Norris in Austria and Mexico in 2024.
