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F1 fans were left fuming after Red Bull driver Max Verstappen gave a blunt response to Mercedes driver George Russell's criticism for his actions during the 2025 Spanish GP. The Dutch driver was involved in a controversial incident with his British rival at the Circuit de Catalunya in the final laps of the race in their battle for P4.
The Mercedes driver initially tried to pass the 27-year-old on the inside of Turn 1 at the safety car and banged wheels with him, which caused Verstappen to run off the track but maintained his position.
Red Bull instructed Max Verstappen to give the position to George Russell, which angered the former and caused him to vent his frustration on the team radio. The situation escalated when the four-time F1 world champion rammed into the side of Russell's W16 while seemingly giving him the position.
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Speaking with ESPN after the race, Russell believed Verstappen's move was "unnecessary" and not a good look for the kids watching F1, saying:
"It's a bit of a shame because Max is clearly one of the best drivers in the world. But maneuvers like that are just totally unnecessary and sort of let him down. It's a shame for all the young kids looking up, aspiring to be Formula 1 drivers.
"So, as I said, I don't know what he was thinking. In the end, I'm not going to lose sleep over it because I ultimately benefited from those antics."
However, Max Verstappen was unfazed by his rivals' comments about his antics and replied:
"Okay, I’ll bring some tissues next time.”
F1 fans were not amused by Max Verstappen's comments and gave their reactions on X, with one fan claiming:
"A terrible role model for motor racing,"
"All fun until someone dies, keep it up, Max day keeps getting closer,"
"Bold from F1's biggest cry baby. Max can hand out heat but sure can’t take any," said a fan.
Here are some more reactions:
"He’s out of control. A race ban is needed!" wrote a fan.
"Yeah. Max's behaviour is actually pretty bad. This is not the type of role model kids should look up to," claimed another.
"A temper tantrum in a multi-million dollar car is crazy behavior," reflected another.
Max Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for his actions against George Russell, which dropped him to P10 at the end of the race.
Max Verstappen summarises his P10 in the Spanish GP
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen admitted that his actions during the race were "not right" as he believed that it "shouldn't have happened".
On his latest Instagram post, the 27-year-old summarised his race and said:
"We had an exciting strategy and a good race in Barcelona till the safety car came out. Our tyre choice at the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened.
"I always give everything out there for the team, and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal."
Max Verstappen lost a whole heap of points due to his antics and now has a gap of 49 points from championship leader Oscar Piastri.
