Christian Horner, Red Bull team boss, declined to comment on Max Verstappen’s Turn 5 collision with Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, as he had not yet spoken to Verstappen at the time of addressing the media. Verstappen’s frustration was fueled by two crucial incidents – being passed by Leclerc and Russell after a late safety car restart, which eventually led to the collision. This collision resulted in a 10-second penalty and three penalty points for Verstappen, bringing him close to a race ban.
Verstappen later admitted his fault on social media, attributing his actions to frustration over tire strategy and moves after the safety car restart. Red Bull’s decision to pit Verstappen under the safety car onto hard tires played a key role in the events that unfolded, as it left him vulnerable to cars on softer tires in the final laps. Horner explained that their aggressive strategy left no option but to pit for hards, exposing them to risks during the safety car period.
Reflecting on the incident, Horner mentioned that hindsight would suggest leaving Verstappen on the old soft tires could have been a better choice, but decisions had to be made based on the available information at the time. The risk of the three-stop strategy was exposed during the safety car period, contributing to the chain of events that led to Verstappen’s collision and subsequent penalties.
