F1 Shock: Verstappen Faces Race Ban After ‘Appalling’ Hit on Russell
Max Verstappen is on the verge of a Formula 1 race suspension after a controversial incident with George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix, June XNUMX, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
After a safety car restart, Verstappen collided with Russell's Mercedes at Turn 5. The action occurred after Verstappen had been instructed by his team to let Russell pass, but he then appeared to deliberately hit his rival. As a result, the FIA handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty and three penalty points on his superlicense, taking his total to 11 points over the past 12 months — just one point away from an automatic race ban, Reuters reports.
George Russell described the incident as "very deliberate" and called Verstappen's behavior "unnecessary and dangerous". Former world champion Nico Rosberg called for Verstappen to be disqualified, calling his actions "appalling". Meanwhile, Verstappen showed no remorse, downplaying the incident and making sarcastic comments towards Russell.
Verstappen must complete the next two races — the Canadian Grand Prix (June 13-15) and the Austrian Grand Prix (June 27-29) — without incident to avoid a suspension. Two of his penalty points expire on June 30, after the race in Austria.
If Verstappen receives another penalty point before that date, he will become the first reigning champion to be suspended from a race in Formula 1 history.
