MAX SPORTS: Spanish Grand Prix

Showing posts with label Spanish Grand Prix. Show all posts

Friday, 13 June 2025

GEORGE RUSSELL REACTS TO MAX VERSTAPPEN SOCIAL MEDIA PAST: 'I WAS A BIT SURPRISED'

Max Verstappen took accountability for causing the clash with George Russell in Barcelona via an Instagram post a day after the Spanish Grand Prix.

George Russell has reacted to Max Verstappen's post-Spanish Grand Prix social media post in which he took accountability for causing the controversial clash with the Mercedes driver.

Ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, the Briton has confirmed that he was a "bit surprised" to read the Dutchman's words a day after the incident in Barcelona, which moved Verstappen just a penalty point away from a ban.

The four-time F1 champion received three penalty points and a 10-second time penalty for driving directly into Russell at Turn 5 of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, demoting him to 10th at the chequered flag.

Despite the aggressive move, which some believe should have seen Verstappen black-flagged, Russell is confident the Red Bull driver was not trying to cause a crash.

"He was trying to run me off the road. I don’t think he was trying to intentionally crash into me," Russell told the media in Montreal. "He wanted to just sort of scare me a bit, but he just misjudged it.

"Again, it wasn’t going to scare me, it was just all a bit surprising. I’m not looking for an apology. His actions cost him, and they benefited me. So I should be almost thanking him.

"Obviously I’d be feeling very differently if it took me out of the race. But it is good to see that he took accountability. I was a bit surprised about that."

Verstappen's initial response in the media pen after the race caused further debate.

Sarcastically, the 27-year-old offered his rival a tissue once informed of Russell's criticism. Remarkably, Russell was humoured by the comment and recently spoke to Verstappen at an airport.

"That was quite funny to be fair and I did have a giggle about that. We bumped into each other at the airport a few days ago on Sunday morning when I was going to Roland Garros," he revealed.

"To be honest, I totally forgot about Barcelona because he was there with his newborn. And we were at the security machine. So he just had a quick chat and then he was busy folding the pram down to put it through the machine."

- Nick Golding

Friday, 6 June 2025

RED BULL NOW 'FEAR' ONE MAX VERSTAPPEN OUTCOME THAT WILL BE 'TERRIBLE' FOR THE F1 TEAM'S IMAGE

Photo by Pablo Morano/Anadolu via Getty Images

Max Verstappen hurt his own hopes of becoming a five-time Formula 1 champion in 2025 by receiving a penalty for driving into George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Red Bull star has a chance to match only Michael Schumacher by winning the F1 drivers’ championship in five successive seasons this term. Yet Verstappen left 11 points on the table at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, which let Oscar Piastri build his lead to 49.

Verstappen also now trails Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 39 points, having sat only 22 and nine points shy two rounds earlier when the Dutchman won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He was even just 25 and 22 points shy after sealing P4 in the Monaco Grand Prix.

But Piastri now boasts nearly two Grand Prix wins in hand over the 27-year-old after the first nine rounds, following Verstappen’s 10-second penalty for driving into Russell in the Spanish GP. His penalty demoted the Red Bull racer from at worst P4 in Montmelo to just 10th place.

Red Bull ‘fear’ Max Verstappen getting a race ban for the 2025 F1 Austrian Grand Prix

The four-time reigning champion’s emotions got the better of him when Red Bull incorrectly told Verstappen to yield P4 to Russell in Spain. But possibly worse than the points he threw away were the three penalty points that the FIA’s race stewards also awarded for the crash.

Verstappen is now just one penalty point from an automatic one-race ban, with the Red Bull racer on 11/12 allowed in a rolling 12-month period. So, he must avoid an incident across the Canadian Grand Prix weekend (June 13-15) and also the Austrian Grand Prix (June 27-29).

Thousands of Dutch fans flock to the Red Bull Ring to support Verstappen, and Red Bull feel it can harm their image if their lead driver were absent. It would also harm their position in the constructors’ championship with Red Bull now just fourth and 218 points from McLaren.

So, ‘everyone’ at Red Bull hopes their ‘fear’ that Verstappen might miss the Austrian GP due to a race ban remains just that and never a reality. Yet their fear of a race ban will persist, as Verstappen will not lose any more of his penalty points after June 30 until October 27 (two).

How many penalty points does Max Verstappen have after his Spanish GP crash with George Russell?

While Motorsport.com reports that Red Bull ‘fear’ Verstappen receiving a race ban for their home race, the Austrian GP, with a penalty at the Canadian GP, the team will also dread the Dutchman getting a penalty in Spielberg which would rule him out of the British Grand Prix.

Silverstone is also a home event for Red Bull, whose factory is in Milton Keynes, and will be a great chance for Verstappen to take points out of Piastri and Norris. Their RB21 will suit the high-speed layout of the British GP venue potentially even more so than McLaren’s MCL39.

Fears might also persist in Milton Keynes even if Verstappen gets through the Canadian and Austrian Grand Prix events without a penalty. He will not drop any more penalty points until after the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, which leaves nine rounds after the Red Bull Ring race.

Verstappen will start to lose most of the 11 penalty points the Red Bull driver now has after crashing into Russell in Spain across the tail end of the 2025 season. He will lose two points on October 27 and then one on November 2, one on December 1 and two on December 8.

- Kyle Archer

Tuesday, 3 June 2025

NORRIS TAKES AIM AT F1 RIVALS AS LATEST RULE CHANGE DOESN'T SLOW DOWN MCLAREN

McLaren completed a 1-2 in Spain, despite the new technical directives

Lando Norris appeared to take aim at McLaren’s Formula 1 rivals, concluding that the new front wing technical directive “changed nothing” after McLaren romped to its third 1-2 of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The rule change introduced by the FIA from Spain onwards was created to try and close the competition at the front of the grid, with McLaren having previously benefitted from the so-called flexi-wings from the final third of last season.

Little difference was seen in the order with the amount of flexibility reduced on the front wings in the rules after both the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix.

And McLaren’s dominance in Barcelona appears to prove that no discernible difference was made after it reduced the amount of flexibility under load on the front wings, the crux of the technical directive [TD].

When asked after the race if McLaren were expecting to experience any Imola-like performance issues, Norris told media including Motorsport Week that the rule change appeared to make little difference.

“I mean, I hope not, but the team are doing a very good job,” he said. “We have a lot of good competition. There was a lot of complaints about our car, and they introduced this TD and changed nothing.

“The team have done a very good job to just give us a good all-round car and the best car on the grid. So, we’re very proud to be able to go and drive those cars every weekend.”

Lando Norris said it appeared that front wing technical directives “changed nothing”

Norris wary of competition despite other teams ‘catching up’

Race winner, Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri, also answered the same question, saying he expected Red Bull to be closer in Spain, but also surmised that teams will challenge the team strongly in other races.

Norris agreed, and intimated that the team needs to keep its momentum going through its work ethic to continue such a controlling dominant opening third of the season.

“Obviously, yesterday was the biggest margin of the year, but I think people seem to quickly forget how close the other qualifying sessions have been.

“They’ve been split by hundredths and thousandths, and there hasn’t been smooth sailing for us in every single one. So, I think that will be the case in future ones.

“But it’s clear we just have the best car on average, and we still seem stronger in the race. Although, it’s clear that the others are catching up. Our gaps in the race were probably a lot bigger in the beginning of the year than they are now.

“So I do think that our competitors are catching up. But, yeah, we just need to keep our heads down and keep working hard.”

- Jack Oliver Smith

Monday, 2 June 2025

OLIVER HARDEN SPANISH GRAND PRIX CONCLUSIONS 😆

MAX VERSTAPPEN MAKES SHOCKING STATEMENT AFTER GEORGE RUSSELL CLASH AT YHE

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

Sunday, 1 June 2025

OSCAR PIASTRI LEADS MCLAREN ONE-TWO IN SPANISH GP AS MAX VERSTAPPEN PAYS PENALTY

McLaren's Oscar Piastri after winning the Spanish GP at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images

Oscar Piastri won the Spanish Grand Prix with a dominant run at the front of the field at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to secure victory in front of his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. However the race was marked by a late moment of impetuous anger from Max Verstappen that cost Red Bull’s defending world champion a huge points loss to the leaders. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in third.

The race had been an intriguing strategic contest if not a thriller until a late safety car. With five laps to go, Piastri held his lead from the restart and Leclerc pounced on Verstappen, who almost completely lost the rear as he came out of the final corner, his hard tyres having no grip.

Verstappen then had contact with Mercedes’s George Russell as the pair went through turn one and Verstappen went off but held his place. He was told to let Russell through but was clearly aggrieved. He moved over to let the British driver past and as he did so, he then drove side-on into the Mercedes.

He was immediately investigated by the stewards, while Russell still had the place, and Verstappen was swiftly given a 10-second time penalty, dropping him to 10th. Piastri now leads Norris by 10 points in the title fight but Verstappen has dropped to 49 points back, after what was an enormously costly moment for the Dutchman.

It was McLaren’s first win in Spain for two decades as the team served notice they retain a formidable advantage over the rest of the field. Russell took fourth, with Nico Hülkenberg a superb fifth for Sauber.

The late drama came only after the two McLarens had dominated the race, with Verstappen and Red Bull doing their best to stay in the fight with an alternate three-stop strategy. It had paid off, despite being outpaced, with the world champion very much in the mix and on for a podium place when a late safety car closed the pack up and there was a final dash for the last five laps.

Verstappen’s three stops had used up all his soft tyres, meaning he was forced on to the slower hard rubber, which left him impotent at the restart and led to the frustration and dangerous driving that will doubtless face enormous criticism far beyond the penalty he received. The three drivers on the podium were left speechless when they watched it in the cool-down room.

Beyond the incident the result was conclusive evidence, were any further needed, that the FIA’s technical directive restricting the flexing of front wings, applied at this race, has made little to no difference to the pecking order. In the build-up to the meeting the clampdown had dominated discussion as to whether it might materially affect the championship leaders. McLaren had been bullish that this was not where the strength of their car lay and have been proved correct in every session this weekend.

Their car is still dominant, surely putting the issue to bed once and for all but more important indicating that if they are to be caught it will take a major step forward from their rivals.

The race belonged to Piastri, who was in assured control from the front, with the same measured, calm confidence that sat in stark contrast to Verstappen’s temper as the 24-year-old Australian reminded everyone he has the traits of a world champion in waiting.

Lewis Hamilton was in sixth for Ferrari, Isack Hadjar in seventh for Racing Bulls, Pierre Gasly eighth for Alpine and Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin. – Guardian

- Giles Richards

Saturday, 31 May 2025

PIASTRI BEATS "CHEEKY" NORRIS FOR POLE AS VERSTAPPEN AND RUSSELL ARE TIRED

2025 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying report

Lando Norris was quickest after the first runs in Q3 but his team mate hit back to claim pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri led a McLaren one-two while Max Verstappen and George Russell set identical times and will share the second row of the grid.

It was a miserable and short session for Verstappen’s team mate, however. Yuki Tsunoda will start from last place.

Piastri signalled McLaren’s pace with his first run in qualifying. He produced a 1’12.551, just over a tenth of a second slower than he went in final practice.

Max Verstappen was the last driver to set their first time in Q1, and he took advantage of the track grip improving to nick second place off Lando Norris by one thousandth of a second. George Russell was another seven-thousandths behind in fourth.

Franco Colapinto looked on course to grab a place in Q2, sitting in 11th place after his first run, two places ahead of team mate Pierre Gasly. However while queueing to leave the pits his car slowed and refused to pull away. Those waiting behind him started to pick their way past the Alpine, which the driver eventually pulled over to one side at the pit lane exit.

Despite that disruption, the remaining drivers were still able to join the track and, in some cases, take advantage of the steadily improving conditions to secure passage into Q2. Colapinto’s name steadily dropped down the timing sheets into the drop zone – but he didn’t quite hit the bottom.

That was because Yuki Tsunoda was still having a tough time in the Red Bull. On Friday he’d been mystified by his inability to get closer to Verstappen’s times. From his first lap in qualifying he was off the pace, and afterwards told his team he suspected his floor was damaged. He improved his time on his final run but it wasn’t good enough to lift him up from last place.

A delighted Oliver Bearman reached Q2 while his team mate went no further. Nico Hulkenberg fell narrowly short of beating Isack Hadjar to the last place in Q2. Carlos Sainz Jnr suffered a disappointing qualifying session at home, dropping out in Q1.

Piastri remained on top after the first runs in Q2, but his team mate ran him closer. Norris produced a 1’12.056 but Piastri became the first driver to break into the 1’11s, pipping him by less than a tenth of a second.

Verstappen remained their closest threat, albeit three tenths of a second off Piastri. The next four cars were threateningly close behind, however: just two tenths covered Vertappen, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc and Alonso.

Russell offered to assist Antonelli with a slipstream in order to help him reach Q3. Both Mercedes drivers duly made it through, joining the McLarens, Ferraris and Verstappen. Alonso ensured the home crowd had one representative in the top 10 on the grid but his team mate went no further.

An unimpressed Alexander Albon accused Haas of “dirty” tactics after encountering Oliver Bearman in the final sector. He was 11th after his final run, missing the cut by three-hundredths of a second, as Pierre Gasly claimed the final place in Q3.

A strong lap from Gabriel Bortoleto put him 12th on the grid behind the Williams. However Liam Lawson was unable to match Isack Hadjar, who was the only Racing Bulls driver to reach the final 10.

As Russell observed in Q2, the advantage of gaining a slipstream down the straight was significant. Norris positioned himself to take advantage of it, leaving the pits after Piastri and waiting for him on the outside of turn 12.

While Piastri accelerated to the line to finish his lap, Norris tucked in behind him to pick up a slipstream. “Cheeky,” remarked Piastri. The tactic appeared to pay off: Norris beat Piastri’s time in the first sector and despite losing time in the second pinched provisional pole position off him by a hundredth of a second.

Russell and Leclerc relegated Verstappen to fifth with their first runs. However the Mercedes driver was unhappy with the team’s tactics, saying they had needlessly thrown two tenths of a second away.

Before the final runs, Alonso took advantage of the opportunity to set a clear lap and went fifth-fastest. Verstappen therefore began his final run having slipped to sixth place.

Piastri and Verstappen had the last laughs after their final runs, however. Norris was first of the McLaren drivers to set a time, and chipped a few hundredths off his mark, but Piastri lopped two tenths of a second off that to capture pole position.

Verstappen rebounded on his last run as well, claiming third place with a 1’11.848. Russell then matched that to within a thousandth of a second, putting him fourth.

Those improvements relegated Hamilton to fifth place ahead of Antonelli. Leclerc took seventh, while Alonso saw his initial fifth place translate to 10th on the grid after Gasly and Hadjar also beat it.