George Russell has been left fuming after a "deliberate" manoeuvre from Max Verstappen led to a collision towards the end of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri extended his lead at the top of the championship table after winning his fifth race of the season, but the day was marred by the dramatic clash between Russell and Verstappen.
Ordered to let Russell through by Red Bull, after Verstappen was deemed to have left the track and gained a lasting advantage, a furious Verstappen began to slow down to allow the Mercedes driver around the outside.
However, once the overtake was complete, he quickly sped back up, getting up get next to him, before turning into the Mercedes driver.
Max Verstappen had been left fuming after being ordered to let George Russell through
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Verstappen had felt aggrieved at the original decision to allow Russell through, and Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins shared that confusion.
"We hear the notification from GP [Gianpiero Lambise] to say 'give the position back' but we don't know where that’s come from,” Collins said.
"We don't know if Red Bull had a conversation with the FIA in how they view it. There will be a team at Red Bull back in Milton Keynes going through the onboards and making a decision."
Russell took no prisoners during his post-race interview.
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George Russell slammed the 'deliberate' move from Max Verstappen
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Speaking to Sky Sports, the 27-year-old said he was “surprised” by the move, and claimed the clash was a “deliberate” act from Verstappen.
"I was as surprised as you guys were. I've seen those sort of manoeuvres before on simulator games and go-karting but never in F1.
"Ultimately we came home in P4 and he came home in P10. I don't really know what was going through his mind.
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"It felt deliberate in the moment, so it felt surprising."
The 27-year-old continued to say that it was a “shame” the Dutchman’s racing ability had been tainted by such actions.
"Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him. It's just a shame something like that continues to occur. It seems totally unnecessary and never seems to benefit himself."
Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg said he believed the move was intentional, and Verstappen should have been disqualified.
He explained: "It looked like a very intentional retaliation. Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn 1.
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Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg claimed the move was a 'very intentional retaliation'
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"That's something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag, yes. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that's a black flag."
When asked about the clash and whether there was any intent or malice behind the move, Verstappen responded bluntly: “Does it matter?”
When pushed further for an answer, he simply commented: "Yeah, OK. That's great. I prefer to speak about the race rather than one single moment."
The general consensus seems to be a move of intent, which could land Verstappen in further trouble, with an investigation currently ongoing.
Reacting to the clash in the cooldown room, Lando Norris, who finished second on the day, claimed: “I’ve done that before in Mario Kart!”
The comment from Norris mirrored that of Russell, comparing Verstappen’s move to a go-kart.
The clash resulted in a 10-second penalty for Verstappen, which ultimately saw him fall to 10th - a far cry from the fifth that he saw himself in prior.
It also sees Red Bull lose further ground on McLaren’s top two in the table.
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