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George Russell claimed a race ban for Max Verstappen would be justified as the reigning world champion heads into this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix on the verge of triggering a race suspension.
Verstappen was given a 10-seond time penalty which dropped him to 10th at the Spanish Grand Prix after colliding with Russell in a move the Mercedes driver said he had “never seen in F1”.
The stewards also gave Verstappen three penalty points on his super licence which puts him on 11 points for the last year. If a driver reaches 12 penalty points over a 12-month period, they are banned for the next event.
It means Verstappen, who accepted blame for the incident and apologised to his team, will have two penalty points dropped off his total after the Austrian Grand Prix at the end of this month but will have to navigate clean weekends in the next two races in Canada and Austria to avoid a race ban.
“If he gets to 12 points it [a ban] wouldn’t be unjust,” said Russell to the media in Montreal.
“At the end of the day, that’s why the penalty points are there. If you keep driving recklessly you will accumulate points, and get punished with a race ban. You’ve got it in your own hands and it doesn’t go without risk.
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Watch new footage of Verstappen’s onboard as he and George Russell come together in a controversial moment during the final laps of the Spanish Grand Prix
“He was trying to run me off the road. I don’t think he was trying to intentionally crash into me. He wanted to just sort of scare me a bit, but he just misjudged it. Again, it wasn’t going to scare me, it was just all a bit surprising.
“I’m not looking for an apology. His actions cost him and they benefited me, so I should be almost thanking him.
“Obviously I’d be feeling very differently if it took me out of the race. But it is good to see that he took accountability. I was a bit surprised about that.”
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Lando Norris reacts to the Verstappen- Russell collision at the Spanish GP
Verstappen, who is 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Pisatri in the title race, has been known for his aggressive racing style since he made his F1 debut in 2015.
Russell says he doesn’t think the Dutchman will change his approach, despite being on the verge of a race ban.
“It depends on the circumstances, doesn’t it? When you are going for a championship, it’s slightly different,” he said.
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Carlos Sainz discusses whether the Canada GP will be as heated as the Spanish GP after the heated situation between Verstappen and Russell
“That’s why I believe he wasn’t intentionally trying to crash into me. He was just trying to get his elbows out and show who’s boss.
“But he got it wrong. Jos [Verstappen’s father] is the boss. I’m going to continue racing exactly the same way because at the end of the day that’s what I did last week and I benefited from it.”
Russell reveals he bumped into Verstappen on weekend off
Verstappen and Russell have a recent history of flashpoint incidents, most notably at the end of last year when the Mercedes driver revealed his rival claimed he would “purposefully go out of his way to crash into me” after an impeding incident in Qatar. Verstappen denied the allegation.
Since then, the rivalry has calmed down, although Verstappen sarcastically offered Russell a tissue in Spain when told about the British driver’s criticism.
“That was quite funny to be fair and I did have a giggle about that,” continued Russell, who watched Carlos Alcaraz defeat Jannik Sinner in last Sunday’s French Open final at Roland Garros.
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The F1 Show podcast panel whether Verstappen’s 10-second penalty for his controversial hit on Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix was correct
“We bumped into each other at the airport on Sunday morning when I was going to Roland Garros.
“To be honest, I totally forgot about Barcelona because he was there with his newborn [baby] , and we were at the security machine. He just had a quick chat and then he was busy folding the pram down to put it through the machine.”
Sky Sports F1’s Canadian GP schedule
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A look back at some of the most dramatic moments from the Canadian Grand Prix
Friday June 13
4pm: F1 Academy Practice One
6pm: Canadian GP Practice One (session starts at 6.30pm)
8pm: The F1 Show
9pm: Team Principals’ Press Conference
9.30pm: Canadian GP Practice Two (session starts at 10pm)
11.25pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
Saturday June 14
2.10pm: F1 Academy Race One
5.15pm: Canadian GP Practice Three (session starts at 5.30pm)
7.30pm: F1 Academy Race Two
8.30pm: Canadian GP Qualifying build-up
9pm: CANADIAN GP QUALIFYING
11pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 15
3.50pm: F1 Academy Race Three
5.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Canadian GP build-up*
7pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX*
9pm: Chequered Flag: Canadian GP reaction
10pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2025 Formula 1 season resumes live on Sky Sports F1 with the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
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