Verstappen acknowledges mistake in Barcelona and explains
Max Verstappen calls the Barcelona incident the only criticism of his 2025 season. In an interview, he says he briefly lost control. That moment led to contact with George Russell and a penalty.
What happened during the restart
The race restarted after a safety car. Verstappen had to take hard tyres after a pit stop. At the last corner, he made a mistake that allowed Charles Leclerc to pass him. Leclerc slid to the inside in the process, resulting in contact between the wheels.
At Turn 1, Russell went on the attack. Verstappen went into the foothills and was later instructed to return the spot. He briefly let off the throttle, but when Russell was in front of him, Verstappen went to attack on the inside at Turn 5. In the process, he hit the left side of Russell's car.
Race control gave Verstappen a 10-second time penalty. As a result, he dropped from fifth on the track to ninth in the final standings after the finish.
Why Verstappen reacted the way he did
Verstappen says it mostly stemmed from frustration. He finds it difficult to leave the track without the feeling of having tried everything. ‘I cannot drive at 80 per cent,’ he said. When too much is against him, he gets angry with himself. That was the case in Barcelona.
He calls it a learning point. Such moments are rare, he expects, and it is something he will learn from and get better at.
- Verstappen accepts the mistake and calls it an exception.
- He received a 10-second penalty and lost four places.
- He stresses that he always wants to give his all and is strict with himself on that.
Place in the bigger picture of the season
Apart from Barcelona, Verstappen is satisfied with his season. Especially in qualifying, he sees progress. He says he has mostly made the most of the available material.
This season also saw other tricky weekends. Consider Silverstone, where the wet weather made his trimmed rear wing disadvantageous. It did not work well in Hungary either and he finished further back. Still, he continues to feel that the team and he often enough got the best out of the Red Bull RB21.
Self-reflection and outlook
Verstappen shows rare candour by publicly admitting where he went wrong. He says his biggest weakness is that he sometimes reacts emotionally when a lot is against him. He is working on it and expects such points to be few and far between.
In the end, his conclusion is positive. He is satisfied with his performance and wants to keep improving, especially in dealing with frustration during races.
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