Red Bull driver Max Verstappen issued a shocking statement after his controversial collision with Mercedes' George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen crashed into Russell after his frustration boiled over regarding his race.
Many Formula 1 fans and pundits criticized Verstappen's sportsmanship and race etiquette for lashing out at Russell.
On Monday, a day after the race, the Dutch made a statement after reflecting on what had happened.
"We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out," Verstappen wrote on Instagram.
"Our tyre choice to 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."
The post featured a rare apology from Verstappen, who has been hesitant to apologize for any on-track incidents.
His demeanor has typically been nonchalant about collisions that he caused or moments when he lost his cool, chalking it up to his competitiveness.
This time, Verstappen accepted responsibility for his actions and condemned his behavior.
His frustration with how the race developed is understandable, given all that went wrong for him.
During the safety car, all of the teams and cars made a pit stop to get a fresh pair of tires because the track in Barcelona was chewing the cars' tires.
Verstappen, however, had already done three pit stops and did not have a soft tire left. Instead, he had a fresh, hard tire remaining, and the team opted to have him come in and get on the fresh tire.
Once the safety car ended, Verstappen was essentially a sitting duck, immediately losing the rear of the RB-21 and just managing to keep it on the track.
Charles Leclerc, in the Ferrari, was behind Verstappen on the soft tire, quickly getting past the Red Bull.
There was some contact during the overtake, though it was Verstappen who went into the Ferrari.
The Dutch driver was irritated on the radio, demanding to have the position, though no such order ever came from the FIA.
Then, to add fuel to the fire, Russell attempted an overtake on the vulnerable Verstappen, but there was contact and the Red Bull driver went off the track, though he stayed ahead of Russell.
Red Bull ordered Verstappen to give up the place, though, as he looked like he was giving up the position, he ended up hitting Russell before letting him through further down the track.
Verstappen was given a 10-second time penalty for the collision, resulting in him finishing P10.
Verstappen will have a couple of weeks until he gets back on track, which should be used to reset his state of mind for the remainder of the season.
In the future, he will need to avoid these incidents when possible, given that he could get a race ban if he gets more penalty points.
- Nelson Espinal
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