By James Broughton, June 2, 2025
Max Verstappen provided some much-needed entertainment in the closing stages of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. Ultimately, McLaren’s race pace proved too strong, with race winner Oscar Piastri always appearing to have an extra trick up his sleeve if needed. A late safety car period injected life into what had largely been a strategic affair, where most overtaking occurred through pit stops and the classic undercut.
The latest controversy involving Verstappen unfolded in those final laps. His incident with Leclerc was clumsy—there’s little need to dwell on it.
The real drama came in his battle with George Russell. On older, worn tyres, Verstappen was a sitting duck at the safety car restart. His hard-earned third place quickly became fourth as Leclerc flew past on the straight following a wild moment out of the final corner. With momentum lost, he became easy prey for Russell.
Russell made a move into Turn 1, but Verstappen veered into the escape road, claiming contact. His race engineer instructed him to give the position back. Initially defiant, Verstappen eventually complied—but at Turn 5, he pushed the rules to the limit, allowing just Russell’s front axle ahead, technically satisfying the requirement.
Then, Verstappen accelerated back to racing speed, catching Russell off guard and colliding with him. Both drivers emerged unscathed, with Verstappen fortunate to avoid disqualification. The stewards handed down a relatively lenient 10-second penalty and three penalty points on his super license. It was a petulant move borne of needless frustration, not something expected from a four-time world champion.
A day after the race, a sorry-not-sorry Verstappen posted on Instagram, admitting that the move “was not correct.” That misjudgment cost him vital points in the Drivers’ Championship and has effectively removed him from title contention. Momentum now lies with the two McLaren drivers, with Oscar Piastri edging ahead of teammate Lando Norris.
Brilliant, bold, assertive, polarising—Verstappen gives nothing less than 100 percent every lap, every race. Always bending the rules, rewriting them in his mind’s eye, he’s never afraid to cross the Rubicon. At the Spanish Grand Prix, by his own admission, of sorts, he went too far. He could be retrospectively black-flagged, but that won’t happen.
Whatever your opinion, whichever camp you fall into, there’s no doubt Verstappen has earned respect. After all, he claimed his fourth F1 Drivers’ Championship in what was arguably only the second-best car on the grid. He delivers 90 percent of Red Bull’s performance. His aggressive racecraft and relentless drive to defend at any cost can be exasperating and senseless—but that’s also what makes him so utterly compelling to watch.