Russell Surprised as Verstappen Owns Up to Spanish GP Clash

“I actually forgot we crashed”: Russell Reflects on Surprise Verstappen Apology

As Formula 1 heads into the buzzing streets of Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix at the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit, a lingering incident from Barcelona is still making headlines, particularly for Mercedes driver George Russell, who admits he didn’t quite expect what came next after his on-track collision with Max Verstappen.

“Did He Really Just Post That?”

In the heat of the Spanish Grand Prix, it was a classic post-safety-car showdown at Turn 1: Verstappen versus Russell, elbows out, hearts racing. The Red Bull driver ran wide, rejoined just ahead, and moments later made contact with the Mercedes. It was scrappy. It was dramatic. It was F1.

But what stunned fans and Russell was Verstappen’s next move: a rare Instagram admission that the clash “shouldn’t have happened.”

“I was a bit surprised to see he had taken responsibility,” Russell admitted to the media ahead of the Canada race. “So fine. But I haven’t spoken to him about it.”

Apparently, even a brush at 300km/h wasn’t enough to make things awkward between the two. “We bumped into each other at the airport the other day, and I actually completely forgot we crashed,” Russell added with a shrug.

A Penalty, a Post, and a Problem for Max

While Verstappen initially finished fifth on the road in Spain, stewards handed him a 10-second penalty, knocking him all the way down to 10th place. Worse still? He also collected three penalty points on his licence.

That puts the reigning Formula 1 World Champion one point away from a one-race suspension — a massive talking point as the championship heats up.

Russell, pragmatic as ever, kept things straight: “If you take risky moves and you get it wrong, you get penalised. And if you get your points, you’ll be banned for a race. That’s racing.”

South African Fans React

Local F1 enthusiasts many of whom stayed up late to catch the Spanish GP or streamed it between Sunday braais have had mixed reactions.

“Max is finally showing a bit of humility,” wrote one fan on X. “About time,” another chimed in, referring to Verstappen’s usual hard-nosed driving style.

Others are more worried about what a race ban could mean. “Imagine missing Max at Kyalami if F1 ever returns to South Africa can’t afford silly bans,” posted a Joburg motorsport group.

Verstappen Unshaken Heading into Montreal

Despite the looming ban, Verstappen is keeping his cool, saying the penalty points won’t change his approach.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “It’s not changing my approach and I cannot speak for others.”

His calm front is perhaps part of what makes Verstappen such a force, but with two more Grands Prix (Canada and Austria) before any of those points expire, the pressure is undeniably on.

The Road Ahead

With Mercedes showing signs of life and Verstappen sitting in the penalty danger zone, the F1 season feels like it’s getting spicy again. And for Joburg fans who live and breathe racing even if it’s through streaming packages and post-race highlights  there’s more drama to look forward to than just the laps on track.

After all, in Formula 1, the real fireworks sometimes happen off the circuit.

Source:F1

In Case You missed it: Sparks Fly in Spain as Verstappen and Russel Crash

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