In rare confession, Max Verstappen admits George Russell incident 'was not right' in viral social media post

Max Verstappen admitted that his collision with George Russell at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix wasn't the right move. In a social media post, the four-time world champion explained that emotions and frustration got the better of him after the safety car restart, leading to a mistake.

Verstappen was caught at a crossroads after the safety car restart in the 2025 Spanish GP. He had completed his three pit stops and ran out of soft compound. Hence, Red Bull pitted him for hard tires, which was the beginning of his boiling frustration.

Moreover, at restart, Verstappen touched not only Charles Leclerc but also George Russell, forcing him wide off the track before he rejoined the pack at P4, ahead of Russell. Fearing a penalty, Red Bull asked him to give the position back, adding to his frustration.

Verstappen repeatedly stated that he wasn't at fault, and on lap 64, he slowed down, and instead of giving the position back to Russell, he crashed into the Mercedes driver at Turn 5.

While Max Verstappen was unapologetic in post-race interviews, he admitted his mistake in a social media post, saying emotions got the better of him and that the crash shouldn't have happened.

"We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona till the safety car came out. Our tire choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fueled 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," Verstappen wrote on Instagram.

Verstappen is often unapologetic when it comes to controversial moves, as he considers it hard racing fueled by passion to win. However, this rare admission has left fans surprised, and the post has garnered over 200,000 likes on Instagram within an hour.

However, FIA didn't show mercy as they penalized Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty, which dropped the Dutchman from P5 to P10. Not only that, he has been handed three penalty points, rounding off his 12-month total to 11 points. Now he is only a single point away from triggering a race ban.

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George Russell feels Max Verstappen let himself down

Max Verstappen with George Russell at F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Sprint & Qualifying - Source: Getty

Following the controversial end to the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, George Russell called out Max Verstappen's 'unnecessary' move, which caused a collision between the two on lap 64. He added that the Red Bull driver let himself down.

Talking to the BBC, Russell said:

"Totally unnecessary and sort of lets him down. I don't know what he was thinking. It doesn't really make sense to deliberately crash into somebody and risk damaging your own car and risk a penalty. In the end, I'm not going to lose sleep over it because I ultimately benefited from those antics."

However, Max Verstappen was defiant in post-race interviews. He said that the incident was a misjudgment on his end and brushed off George Russell's criticism as a personal point of view.