P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell has addressed Max Verstappen’s potential race ban ahead of the Canadian GP.
George Russell believes that a race ban for Max Verstappen would be warranted due to their contentious clash in Spain, where Verstappen received three penalty points from F1 stewards for colliding with Russell.
Verstappen’s penalty points now total 11, just one away from the 12-point threshold that would trigger a race ban, with his next set not expiring until June 30th.
Russell expressed his belief that a ban for Verstappen would not be unjust given their recent incidents and verbal altercations dating back to 2024.
If Verstappen accumulates one more penalty point this weekend in Canada or in the next race in Austria, he could be suspended from a grand prix, making him the first reigning world champion to face such consequences.
Russell emphasized the importance of being strategic in dealing with this situation, suggesting that the rest of the field should capitalize on it to their advantage and acknowledging the impact of penalty points on a driver’s eligibility to compete.
He also noted that Verstappen’s penalties can spice up the competition and that drivers should be mindful of their actions to avoid sanctions that could disrupt their race participation.
