Formula 1
Red Bull Blasts FIA Silence After Verstappen’s Spanish GP Clash with Russell
The Spanish Grand Prix may be over, but the controversy surrounding Max Verstappen’s on-track clash with George Russell is just heating up—especially inside the Red Bull Racing garage. After a chaotic series of incidents and a post-race penalty that left Verstappen fuming, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is demanding greater clarity and communication from the FIA.
In the aftermath of a heated restart at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Max Verstappen was ordered to hand a position back to Mercedes’ George Russell after taking to the run-off area during a defensive maneuver. Red Bull made the call fearing the worst—a repeat of Saudi Arabia, where Max Verstappen was penalized for a similar scenario involving Lando Norris.
However, in a bizarre twist, FIA stewards later ruled that George Russell wasn’t entitled to the corner anyway. That means Red Bull gave up track position unnecessarily. To make matters worse, Max Verstappen was then slapped with a 10-second penalty for a separate collision with George Russell moments later.
FIA Communication on Max Verstappen and George Russell Issue
Christian Horner didn’t hold back in his post-race comments, calling out the lack of response from FIA race director Rui Marques, who reportedly failed to provide any real-time guidance to the team during the chaos.
“You ask the question, but you get nothing back,” Christian Horner said bluntly. “It would be nice, as the referee, for the race director to either say, ‘Play on,’ or ‘Give the place back.’”
The incident has reignited long-standing debates in Formula 1 over inconsistent stewarding and the responsibilities of the race director during live action. Red Bull argues that teams shouldn’t be forced to “second-guess” outcomes based on precedent or fear of penalty.
“It’s very hard for the team to make that call because you’re trying to preempt what the stewards and the race director are thinking,” Horner added. “That shouldn’t be the case in a sport at this level.”
At the heart of the issue is a lack of communication. Christian Horner revealed that even when teams reach out for clarification, they’re met with silence.
“It’s something that should be discussed in the [Sporting Advisory Committee],” he emphasized, calling for the matter to be formally addressed.
The chaos not only disrupted Red Bull’s strategy but also fueled Max Verstappen’s visible frustration during the race. Already upset with being placed on hard tyres while rivals opted for softs, Max Verstappen found himself in a no-win scenario: undercut by strategy, targeted on the track, and left exposed by ambiguous regulations.
As Formula 1 continues to tighten its competition margins, the need for real-time FIA intervention during race incidents has never been more evident. Red Bull’s fury may just force the issue to the forefront at the next Sporting Advisory Committee meeting.
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