‘I just got crashed into!’ – Russell and Verstappen offer verdicts on dramatic collision in Spain

George Russell and Max Verstappen have offered contrasting views following their dramatic late-race collision at the Spanish Grand Prix, an incident that significantly altered the final standings and earned Verstappen a penalty. The race's closing stages were thrown into disarray by a Safety Car deployment, prompting most frontrunners to pit, with Verstappen forced onto less grippy hard tyres. After a restart, Verstappen experienced a moment, briefly contacting Charles Leclerc, which allowed Russell to close in. Verstappen then went off-track to maintain position, and despite being instructed by his engineer to yield, he collided with Russell on the penultimate lap while seemingly attempting to let him pass. Russell, reflecting on the clash, stated, "I just got crashed into!" and expressed relief that he continued with minimal damage, noting the incident "punished him a lot more than me." He questioned Verstappen's thinking, suggesting it cost the Red Bull driver significant points. Verstappen, receiving a 10-second time penalty that dropped him from fifth to tenth, downplayed the event, attributing it to low grip on his hard tyres and stating, "I don’t need to say anything about it because it doesn’t matter anyway." He acknowledged the strategy was "racy" but ultimately unrewarding. The collision adds another layer to the intense battle at the front of the F1 grid.