Verstappen flies to surprising location after Spanish GP, speculation swirls

According to flight data, his private jet departed from Barcelona around 20:00 local time last night. Initially, it was expected that he would fly back to Monaco, but public records indicate that the aircraft landed in Prague.

Why Verstappen flew to the Czech Republic has not been disclosed. The four-time world champion has not publicly appeared or spoken since the race, apart from the mandatory media interviews. On social media, his flight destination led to much speculation among fans, but an official statement has still not been provided.

The race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was challenging for the Red Bull driver. Verstappen was on course for a podium finish, but fell back to fourth place due to an inopportunely timed safety car. Red Bull placed him on hard tires during the safety car period, causing him to immediately lose a position to Charles Leclerc.

Later, there was dispute about a defensive action by Verstappen against George Russell. The team told Verstappen he had to give back his position to the Mercedes driver, but this was later determined to be incorrect. In the confusion that ensued, the two cars came into contact. Verstappen received a ten-second time penalty and three penalty points on his license for this. He fell back to tenth place, earning him one point.

The Dutchman did not comment on the incident afterwards and also revealed little in the media.