As the fallout continues from Max Verstappen’s controversial run-in with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix, a new layer of frustration for the Dutchman has surfaced — and it involves Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
According to Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, Verstappen was already incensed before the Russell incident, after being “rammed” by Leclerc at high speed on Barcelona’s main straight.
Speaking to Austria’s OE24, Marko made it clear that Verstappen's anger with how the race unfolded wasn't solely about the 10-second penalty he received for his late-race contact with Russell – but was also rooted in what he saw as inconsistent officiating by the FIA stewards.
“I have to say in Max’s defence, Servus TV showed very clear footage on Monday of Max being rammed by Leclerc at 300 km/h in Barcelona,” Marko said. “But nothing happened. Of course, that upsets him too.”
The moment in question occurred after a Safety Car was deployed to retrieve Kimi Antonelli’s stricken Mercedes.
With Verstappen on hard tyres and rivals – including Leclerc – on fresh softs, the restart left the Red Bull driver vulnerable.
Coming out of the final corner, Verstappen lost traction, giving Leclerc a run down the pit straight. The two made contact before Turn 1 as Leclerc completed the pass.
The FIA launched an investigation into the incident but ultimately took no action, noting that neither driver was “wholly or predominantly to blame” – a conclusion both drivers reportedly agreed with.
Still, Marko clearly disagreed, pointing to what he saw as a double standard in stewarding.
Leclerc: “There was nothing special"
Leclerc, for his part, wasn’t fazed by the contact and even seemed to empathise with Verstappen’s aggressive defence. Speaking to the media after the race, the Monegasque suggested the reigning world champion was simply desperate to hold onto third place.
“I probably would have been very vocal if it was the other way around,” Leclerc admitted. “Because you are fighting for the third place so [he was] just trying everything to get that third place back.
“And I think he knew that on track it would be very difficult with the tyres he was on.
Read also: Wolff critical of ‘over-hard racing’ between Verstappen and Leclerc“Honestly, I don’t have any particular feeling about it. There was nothing special. I overtook on the inside. He tried to squeeze me on the dirty side of the track. Then I had the upper hand because I had more speed because of the mistake he had done.
“And then I was trying to take the slipstream of the McLaren, went a tiny bit to the left, he didn’t seem to want to move at all.
“We touched a little bit, but there was nothing.”
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