The dust has settled – on track at least – and Max Verstappen has accepted his collision with George Russell at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix was “not right”. But questions remain over Red Bull’s interactions with FIA race control, which appear to have had a substantial influence on the trigger point for the incident.
After the Safety Car restart Verstappen was aggrieved that the team had put him on the unfancied C1 hard-compound tyre, and he felt he had been hit by Charles Leclerc and then pushed off the track by Russell. Since the FIA’s signalling system indicated that Verstappen was ‘under investigation’ for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, having taken to the escape road and rejoined ahead of Russell, Red Bull instructed him to give the position back.
