Verstappen stayed calm under pressure. Verstappen stayed strong in his responses after receiving a 10-second punishment for hitting George Russell which happened during the difficult finish of the Spanish Grand Prix. That response on Sky Sports F1 was simply “Does it matter?” as if to ignore the questions which many were eager to hear a reply to. Verstappen put more importance on the big picture rather than one moment with another car.
During the final part of a very intense race, Verstappen was on minimally-fresh hard tyres while his competition got a help from quicker-wearing soft tyres given under safety car conditions near the end. Because of the problems with his tyres and the grip they offered, Verstappen was at a disadvantage. Charles Leclerc tried to overtake Verstappen in the last corner and Verstappen’s Red Bull struggled against the hard tires. There was contact with the other person. Realizing his chance, Russell used the disorganization to start his charge in Turn 1. There was a short fight and Verstappen was told he must hand the place over for leaving the track.
That is, until the action began on Turn 5.
When Russell and Verstappen collided, Verstappen was given a penalty and, what was more important, was given three additional penalty points for his Super Licence, making his total 11. If these penalties continue, Red Bull will have no choice but to skip the next Grand Prix which would be surprising for the championship story. Since his points will only start to expire soon after the Austrian GP, he will feel pressure on all of his actions until that race takes place.
At a high temperature, Verstappen didn’t engage in pointing fingers. “I am more interested in how things went over the race as a whole, rather than just what happened in any one scrap,” he explained. There are situations that make sense for his frustrations. The Red Bull team went for an aggressive three-stop plan early on and everything looked just fine for most of the race. His tyres became worn quickly, but the team’s multiple set of pit stops gave Verstappen an unpredictable style which was lost during the safety car.
After beginning the race again, Verstappen felt his car was very short of grip. The hard tyres could not compete with the soft ones on the track which left him vulnerable as the last few laps took place. It all snowballed: first Ricciardo hit Leclerc, then he made contact with Russell and then he was forced back to P10 because of his penalty.
Verstappen discussed his problems with Russell and the standard of sportsmanship in Formula 1 to the written press after the race. He felt that the biggest problem is the standards we use for racing. The rules about what you’re allowed or not, can be unnatural and quite annoying. At times, things go your way and at times they don’t and today it didn’t go my way.”
Expectedly, the fallout has been extremely noisy. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, who works for Sky Sports, didn’t mince words. He insisted that Verstappen deserved to be disqualified because of the impact on Russell. Verstappen’s reaction? Even with a still, serious demeanor, he says, “Yes, that’s his opinion, everyone has one,” He was very adamant that he would steer clear of any dialog with Russell. The relationship Max has with Anny, in his view, is finished and done.
Yet, while Verstappen avoids talking about it, the incident is starting new discussions about aggressive driving, fairness in stewarding decisions and the increasing friction between top drivers. George Russell, wanting to show that he deserved a place among leading drivers, was ready to face all challengers. Since Verstappen was fighting for his championship crown, he wasn’t giving up. It was clear that some part of the company had to be rethought.
The championship setting adds extra excitement to the situation. Verstappen does not appear to be the leader who is unstoppable anymore. Businesses are under more pressure, the margins are very close and every slip up or mistake really counts. Because of the race ban hovering over him, Verstappen has to move cautiously which is ironic for someone well known for racing aggressively.
When the action moves to Austria, those at Formula 1 will be closely following. If Verstappen makes another wrong move or a fast decision goes the wrong way, he might have to sit out the next race, a change that could really change the lead in the championship standings.
No matter if you think it was unfair against Verstappen or Russell, the incident got F1 enthusiasts talking about how driving is allowed in Formula 1. Even though Verstappen might quickly say “Does it matter?” it does still matter to everyone watching and competing.
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