Max Verstappen faces scrutiny after Spanish GP as Red Bull boss Horner warns he must stay cautious to avoid an F1 race ban.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was questioned regarding the penalty handed to Max Verstappen during the Spanish Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion was given a ten-second penalty in Barcelona following a collision with George Russell (Mercedes). The incident dropped him from fifth to tenth place, costing him valuable points in the title race.
It was one of two incidents involving Verstappen during a dramatic end to the Spanish Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver had also made contact with Charles Leclerc just moments before clashing with Russell.
Russell and Verstappen battled at Turn 1, and the two drivers made contact, forcing the Red Bull driver to take the escape road while retaining his position on track.
Red Bull instructed Verstappen to let Russell pass, but the two made contact again at Turn 5. The stewards immediately reviewed the incident and issued a ten-second penalty, dropping Verstappen to tenth after crossing the line. He was also handed three penalty points on his license, which could have serious consequences, including a potential race ban.
“Max had a small slide at the restart, and Charles got alongside him,” Horner told the media.
“It looks like he veered to the left. George clearly tried to take advantage into Turn 1, but it was extremely marginal.”
“Recent experience and incidents show how subjective it is. You ask the FIA, the referee, for advice, and there is no turning back. The incident was flagged, referred to the stewards, and everything pointed toward a penalty. So Max was instructed by us to give the position back, which clearly upset and irritated him, as he felt he had not been given any room and that George did not fully control the situation.”
“After a conversation with his engineer, he decided to give the place back at Turn 5, and there was contact between the two cars. I have not had the chance to speak with Max yet.”
“The stewards ruled that he caused the collision, which is obviously very frustrating, as it leaves us with fewer points when we should have easily secured a podium.”
Verstappen now has eleven penalty points. In Canada, he will need to remain spotless. Asked if he was worried about a possible suspension for Verstappen, Horner responded, “You can never guarantee anything.”
“He just needs to be cautious over the next two races. After that, the earliest points will expire at the end of June.”
2016 world champion Nico Rosberg suggested Verstappen should have been shown a black flag and disqualified.
Horner replied, “Nico tends to be rather sensational in his commentary, so we will leave it at that.”
Horner also avoided directly agreeing with Russell’s claim that Verstappen had behaved unsportingly. The British team boss stumbled over his words, clearly struggling to defend his driver over the incident.
“Look, I have not had the chance to speak with Max. We will talk about it in due time.”
“We clearly understood his frustration. He disagreed, that much was obvious, with both Charles and George. I have not spoken to him yet, as he had to speak with you and then went to the stewards to discuss the incident with Charles. We will talk about it internally and reflect on it.”
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