MAX VERSTAPPEN has broken his silence after being accused of a “deliberate” crash at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman collided with George Russell just three laps away from the chequered flag on Sunday.
Verstappen had been told to let Russell and his Mercedes through by Red Bull bosses.
But the pair made contact at Turn Five after a safety car delay, with the four-time world champion given a ten-second penalty.
The penalty dropped Verstappen back from P5 to P10 when he crossed the finish line.
A fuming Russell said after the race: “Ultimately, we came home in P4 and he came home in P10.
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“I don’t really know what was going through his mind.
“It felt deliberate in the moment, so it felt surprising.”
Verstappen has now addressed the incident in a post on Instagram, claiming emotions were “running high”.
The Dutchman wrote: “We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out.
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“Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened.
“I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high.
“You win some together, you lose some together.
“See you in Montreal.”
F1‘s governing body decided that Verstappen‘s actions warranted three points on his Super Licence, declaring the collision was “undoubtedly caused” by him.
The sport’s penalty points system works on a 12-month rolling basis.
THE new Formula One season is well underway – and one team appear to be running away with it.
A massive summer of change saw Lewis Hamilton move on from Mercedes and join Ferrari, while the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have a big chance to end Max Verstappen’s recent dominance.
The Red Bull ace is aiming for a record-equalling FIFTH consecutive world title.
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Verstappen currently sits on 11 penalty points out of the maximum of 12.
Earning one more before the points rest on June 30 would see him banned for a race.
Sky Sports pundit and former F1 star Nico Rosberg believes Verstappen was lucky to avoid a black flag.
Rosberg said: “It looked like a very intentional retaliation.
“Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn 1.
“That’s something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag, yes.
“If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that’s a black flag.”
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Verstappen is now 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.
The McLarens dominated in Barcelona, with Piastri winning off pole and team-mate Lando Norris finishing second.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
