Mercedes driver George Russell believes that a race ban for Max Verstappen would be warranted. Ahead of this weekend`s Canadian Grand Prix, the reigning world champion is nearing a potential suspension from racing.
During the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen received a 10-second penalty after colliding with Russell, a move that dropped him to 10th place. Russell described the incident as something he had `never seen in F1`. The stewards also issued Verstappen three penalty points on his super licence, bringing his total over the last year to 11 points. Under the rules, a driver who accumulates 12 penalty points within a 12-month period is automatically banned from the next event.
Verstappen, who accepted responsibility for the collision and apologised to his team, will have two penalty points removed from his record after the Austrian Grand Prix at the end of this month. However, to avoid a ban, he must successfully complete the races in Canada and Austria without receiving any further penalty points.
Speaking to the media in Montreal, Russell stated, “If he gets to 12 points, it wouldn`t be unjust [to impose a ban].”
He added, “At the end of the day, that`s why the penalty points exist. If you continue to drive recklessly, you`ll gather points and face a race ban. It`s within your control, and it comes with consequences.”
Describing the Spanish GP incident, Russell commented, “He was trying to push me off the track. I don`t believe he intended to crash, but he was trying to intimidate me and simply miscalculated. It didn`t scare me, just caught me off guard.”
Russell clarified, “I`m not seeking an apology. His actions negatively impacted him and benefited me, so in a way, I should thank him. Naturally, I`d feel differently if I had been forced out of the race. But I appreciate him taking responsibility; I was slightly surprised by that.”
Verstappen, currently 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, is well-known for his aggressive driving style since entering F1 in 2015. Despite Verstappen facing a potential ban, Russell doubts the Dutch driver will alter his aggressive approach.
“It depends on the situation, doesn`t it? When you`re competing for a championship, things are a bit different,” Russell noted.
He reiterated his belief about the Spanish incident, “That`s why I think he didn`t deliberately try to crash into me. He was just asserting himself, showing who`s in charge. But he misjudged it. Jos [Verstappen`s father] is the real boss!”
Russell affirmed his own approach: “I`ll keep racing exactly as I did last week because ultimately, 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 |
Encounter Off-Track
Russell mentioned a recent off-track interaction with Verstappen. Despite their on-track incidents, including a past claim by Russell about Verstappen`s intentions in Qatar (which Verstappen denied), and the recent sarcastic exchange about a tissue in Spain, Russell ran into Verstappen at the airport the Sunday after the Spanish GP.
Russell, heading to the French Open final, said he “totally forgot about Barcelona” when they briefly chatted while Verstappen was with his newborn baby. He recalled, “To be honest, I totally forgot about Barcelona because he was there with his newborn, and we were at the security machine. He just had a quick chat and then he was busy folding the pram down to put it through the machine.”
Marcus Prine