Max Verstappen has admitted that his Spanish Grand Prix scuffle with George Russell is the “only point of criticism” he is willing to take in Formula 1 this season.
Coming off the back of four consecutive F1 titles, Verstappen sees himself on the cusp of losing out to the McLaren drivers this season.
With a tricky and inconsistent RB21 to deal with, the 28-year-old goes into the final three rounds of the season with a 49-point deficit to Championship leader Lando Norris after the Sao Paulo GP.
Speaking to ViaPlay, the Dutchman expressed that he is “happy” with how his season has panned out despite his struggles with Red Bull.
That said, his incident with Russell in Barcelona is the only blot he is willing to accept.
“I am happy with my season. The only point of criticism is the situation in Barcelona,” he said.
“What happened there, of course, wasn’t great, but it also came from the fact that I really care. I could also have said ‘my car isn’t fast, I’ll let it go’.”
Verstappen came into the Spanish GP weekend with only two wins in six races.
Red Bull’s strategy ploy to put him on the white-walled Hard tyres irked the Dutchman as he further conceded a place to Charles Leclerc into Turn 1 – compounding his frustrations.
With Russell on his tail, Verstappen was forced to take evasive action into Turn 1 but he emerged in front of the Mercedes driver prompting the team to ask him to hand the place back.
This was seemingly the last straw for the Red Bull driver as he banged wheels with Russell into Turn 4 – bundling into the W16’s left-hand side and taking a 10-second time penalty for his troubles.
“It’s in part the fact that I cannot accept from myself, when I get out of the car, that I haven’t done everything and given everything. That makes me mad at myself,” he admitted.
“I cannot put in 80% effort. I have to get out of the car with the feeling I’ve tried everything. I was mad about what happened on the straight during the restart, then corner one and then I get the radio message that I have to give back the position.
“At that moment all the signs went red.
“That was not good, and you learn from that. And moments like those probably won’t happen again. You can be in a similar situation with the car but it is something that you learn from.”
Verstappen passes 2025 F1 verdict
A difficult race weekend at Interlagos has all but put Verstappen out of realistic contention for the title.
Yet, his drive during the 71-lap race from the pit lane to the podium was a highlight of this season. Taking the entire year into perspective, Verstappen concluded that despite the competitiveness or a lack thereof of the RB21, he is contented with his own personal performances.
“But performance-wise, I am happy. Especially in qualifying I am pleased with myself. And that was maybe, at the beginning of my career, one of my weaker sides,” added the 28-year-old.
Verstappen insisted that even considering his outburst in Spain, he has been able to maximise whatever was possible in terms of pace and performance from the RB21 this season.
“You always have to look at where you’ve left stuff on the table,” he surmised.
“Could I have been more consistent or better? I think with the material that I had, I have on average maximised the potential. That is positive.
“From the outside, it is very difficult to assess how competitive the car really is.”
READ MORE – How Max Verstappen put McLaren on alert at F1 Brazil GP despite increased points buffer
Discussion about this post