Mercedes driver George Russell believes a race ban for Max Verstappen would be justified, as the reigning world champion faces the risk of suspension heading into the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen received a 10-second penalty and finished 10th after a collision with Russell, an incident the Mercedes driver described as something he had `never seen in F1`.
Stewards also assigned three penalty points to Verstappen`s super licence, bringing his total for the past year to 11. Under the rules, accumulating 12 points within a 12-month span results in a ban from the subsequent race.
Verstappen, who took responsibility and apologised to his team for the Spanish incident, will have two penalty points removed from his record after the Austrian Grand Prix later this month. However, he must complete the upcoming races in Canada and Austria without incurring penalties to avoid a ban.
Speaking to the media in Montreal, Russell stated, “If he reaches 12 points, [a ban] would not be unfair.”
He added, “Ultimately, that`s the purpose of penalty points. Persistent reckless driving leads to accumulating points and a race ban penalty. It`s within the driver`s control, but aggressive maneuvers carry risk.”
Describing the Spanish incident, Russell commented, “He was attempting to push me off the track. I don`t believe he intended to crash, but rather tried to intimidate me slightly and miscalculated. It didn`t scare me, but it was quite unexpected.”
Russell continued, “I`m not seeking an apology. His actions ended up costing him and benefiting me, so in a way, I should be grateful.”
“Naturally, my feelings would be very different had I been forced out of the race. However, it`s positive that he accepted responsibility, which honestly surprised me a little.”
Verstappen, known for his aggressive style since his 2015 debut, is reportedly 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri in the title race (according to the source text).
Despite being close to a ban, Russell doesn`t expect the Dutch driver to alter his aggressive approach.
Russell remarked, “It depends on the situation, doesn`t it? When you`re competing for a championship, things are a bit different.”
“That`s why I think he didn`t deliberately try to crash. He was just being assertive and trying to establish dominance. But he miscalculated. Jos [Verstappen`s father] is the real boss!”
He added, “I plan to continue racing in the same manner, as that`s what I did last week and it worked out well for me.”
F1 Drivers` Current Penalty Points
| Driver | Points |
|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | 11 |
| Liam Lawson | 6 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 4 |
| Oscar Piastri | 4 |
| Oliver Bearman | 4 |
| Lando Norris | 3 |
| Lance Stroll | 3 |
| Carlos Sainz | 2 |
| Fernando Alonso | 2 |
| Franco Colapinto | 2 |
| Alex Albon | 2 |
| George Russell | 1 |
| Eight drivers | 0 |
Russell recounts chance meeting with Verstappen during break
Verstappen and Russell have had notable clashes recently, including an incident in Qatar late last year where Russell claimed Verstappen threatened to `purposefully go out of his way to crash into me` after impeding. Verstappen denied this claim.
Their rivalry has since cooled, though Verstappen did sarcastically offer Russell a tissue in Spain upon hearing the British driver`s comments.
“That was genuinely quite amusing, and it gave me a laugh,” Russell remarked. He spent his weekend watching Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the French Open final.
“We ran into each other at the airport on Sunday morning when I was heading to Roland Garros.”
“Honestly, I had completely forgotten about Barcelona because he was there with his newborn [baby]. We were at the security scanner, had a brief chat, and then he was preoccupied folding down the stroller to send it through the machine.”
