Max Verstappen found himself at the center of controversy on Sunday when stewards ruled he had rammed rival George Russell during the final laps of an eventful Spanish Grand Prix. The incident occurred shortly after the race resumed with five laps remaining following a safety car period. Verstappen lost third place to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and then went off track while attempting to defend against Russell’s Mercedes. A dramatic restart! ? This was a heart-in-mouth moment between Verstappen and Leclerc ?#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/xO8Qz3USJa — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025 Verstappen’s Red Bull team instructed him to yield the position to Russell. The Dutchman appeared to comply as he slowed into turn five with two laps to go, but instead, he collided with the Mercedes. The stewards handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty, resulting in a 10th-place finish. He expressed dissatisfaction with how Leclerc had overtaken him and how Russell had attempted to pass. After the race, Verstappen accused Leclerc of driving into him while overtaking and said Russell pushed him off track, forcing him to take the escape road to maintain fourth place. Verstappen did not deny that his move on Russell, with whom he had a contentious relationship last season, was intentional. Max Verstappen post-race interview #SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/sR7zNtsWHC — F1 To Rule Them All (@F1RulesMedia) June 1, 2025 “Does it matter?” he responded. “I prefer to discuss the race rather than a single moment.” Verstappen dismissed questions about defending his drivers’ title. “We are too slow to fight for the title anyway. That was clear again today,” he remarked. When asked by Sky if his reputation was being tarnished by the collisions and penalty, he replied, “Is it? Well, that’s your opinion. We’ll leave it there.” Russell likened Verstappen’s move to video games. “I was as surprised as you guys,” he told reporters. “I’ve seen these maneuvers in simulator games and karting, but never in F1.” “Ultimately, we finished P4 and he finished P5. I don’t know what he was thinking. It felt deliberate at the time, so it was surprising.” “It is up to the stewards to determine if it was deliberate. Max is an amazing driver and is admired by many. It’s unfortunate that incidents like this continue to happen. It seems unnecessary and never benefits him.” Leclerc and Verstappen were both summoned to the stewards’ office after the race for further investigation into their collision. (with agency inputs)