The controversial Spanish GP incident has prompted a rare Max Verstappen apology as the reigning Formula 1 world champion finds himself at the center of intense scrutiny following his bullish post-race comments.
On Monday, Verstappen took to social media to explain his actions were “not right and should not have happened” but did not issue a direct apology, however, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has now revealed the Dutchman issued an internal apology.
The Dutchman was handed a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his FIA super licence following a ‘deliberate’ collision with Mercedes driver George Russell during the final laps of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Spanish Grand Prix had been shaping up as a strategic battle with Verstappen and Red Bull executing a bold three-stop strategy that, according to Horner, was on course for a comfortable podium finish.
However, a late safety car triggered by Kimi Antonelli’s stricken Mercedes dramatically altered the complexion of the race. The timing of the safety car was particularly unfavorable for Red Bull, forcing Verstappen onto a set of hard tires—the only fresh compound available.
This left Verstappen vulnerable after the race resumed. Charles Leclerc immediately overtook him at the restart, with the two cars making brief contact before George Russell also attempted to make a similar move at Turn 1.
Verstappen defended his position by cutting the chicane to stay ahead – a move which prompted instruction from his Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to relinquish the position to Russell so as to avoid a penalty for gaining advantage off-track.
It was at this juncture that Verstappen’s frustration appeared to boil over. Despite his visible reluctance, Verstappen seemed to comply only to make contact with Russell moments later at Turn 5.
Telemetry analysis revealed that Verstappen after slowing to let Russell through suddenly accelerated and collided with the Mercedes, an action that many observers—including 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg—deemed highly questionable.
The stewards wasted little time in assessing blame, handing Verstappen a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his FIA super licence.
The penalty dropped him from fifth to tenth in the final classification, costing Red Bull valuable championship points while leaving the driver with a precarious total of 11 penalty points—just one short of an automatic race ban.
F1 Spanish Grand Prix Results 2025
2025 F1 Championship Standings after Spanish Grand Prix
In the immediate aftermath, Verstappen was notably reticent when speaking to the media. He answered questions about his intent with the dismissive reply: “Does it matter?” and responded to Russell’s criticism by sarcastically commenting that the Briton might need a tissue for his tears.
However, he did take to social media the following day to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.
“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,” Verstappen wrote.
“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.”
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While the public statement stopped short of Max Verstappen apology to Russell, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner later revealed in an Instagram post that the Dutchman had apologized internally during the team’s debrief.
“Max apologised in the debrief for his incident with Russell,” Horner said. “The SC also hurt Yuki’s race, he would’ve been very close if not in the points otherwise if you look at the trajectory he was on.
“But that’s racing. It can turn in a split second. It is one of the reasons we are all so captivated and in love with this sport. It was a tough weekend, but we will busy working hard over the next weeks to make some set-up improvements to the car and come back strong in Montreal.”
