Former Mercedes boss Norbert Haug has slammed Red Bull driver Max Verstappen after his controversial collision with George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
Haug lambasted the 27-year-old for failing to apologise and suggested he "must behave".
Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty from FIA stewards for causing a collision with Russell during the final two laps of the Spanish Grand Prix.
The incident occurred after Verstappen's team instructed him to give fourth place back to Russell for leaving the track.
The collision happened in lap 64
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The collision sparked controversy, with F1 fans and pundits criticising the Dutchman's actions.
Nico Rosberg called for Verstappen to be issued with a black flag, describing the incident as an "intentional retaliation".
Along with the time penalty, stewards handed Verstappen three penalty points on his FIA super licence as part of their investigation into the collision.
Verstappen now has 11 penalty points out of the maximum 12 allowed on his FIA super licence. Drivers are not permitted to incur more than 12 points in a 12-month period.
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Max Verstappen is just one point away from an automatic one race ban
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This puts the Red Bull driver at serious risk of an automatic one-race ban if he receives any further penalty points. Points expire after 12 months, and Verstappen's next points don't expire until the end of June.
This means Verstappen must not get caught up in any on-track incidents during the next two race events, otherwise he faces an automatic suspension from competition.
Verstappen took responsibility on his social media following backlash from the incident. However, former Mercedes F1 boss Haug criticised the statement for lacking a direct apology to Russell.
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Haug told Sky Sports Germany: "I was shocked. I couldn't imagine that someone would be punished [on track] like that. At least he apologised today, but I think we need to examine the entire chain of circumstances.
"For me, the apology today is missing two very simple words at the very end, 'Sorry, George'."
"Maybe he can also apologise to the stewards. It shouldn’t have happened. It’s a good start, but a good ending counts for everything. And that’s why I would have expected him to say 'I apologise' to George.
“I apologise for my misconduct to the FIA and all the fans watching. He is a person who is admired, rightly admired, with absolute certainty the very best racing driver these days for a long time, and one must behave accordingly.”
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Former Mercedes boss Norbert Haug warned Max Verstappen 'must behave'
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Verstappen had previously taken to social media to take responsibility for the clash.
"Some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration," Verstappen wrote on Instagram. "Leading to a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened. I always give everything out there."
The timing of Verstappen's penalty points creates a critical window for the championship leader.
His earliest penalty points don't expire until the end of June, meaning he has two race events to navigate without incurring further sanctions.
Any additional penalty points during this period would trigger an automatic one-race ban under FIA regulations.
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