Debate | Was Verstappen's maneuver against Russell intentional or not? - VOTE

After witnessing a rather dull Spanish GP for almost its entire duration, Kimi Antonelli's retirement (and the consequent Safety Car deployment) inadvertently sparked the final stages of the race, with a chaotic restart featuring Charles Leclerc—who finished third—but especially Max Verstappen and George Russell.

The two aforementioned drivers put on a great show on track in the final laps, with a double collision first at Turn 1 and then at Turn 5, which forced the stewards to make an extra effort.

While the first wheel-to-wheel battle was not deemed worthy of further investigation, the race direction focused particularly on the controversial maneuver carried out by the Dutchman, who was subsequently penalized with ten seconds and three points on his FIA super license.

Many have criticized the borderline behavior of the four-time world champion. One of them is Nico Rosberg, who did not mince words in his judgment: "Red Bull messed up by saying let George pass. That really annoyed Max because he knew George had rammed him off''.

The Dutchman then remained quite vague in the interviews later on, fueling further doubts about the intentionality of the move: ''You can fill that in for yourself'', he told ViaPlay.

''It's quite clear. It's frustrating that you then also have to give up the position."Clearly, I did not agree, that was noticeable. And then you get that penalty."