Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) leads the second lap over Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) during the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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Christian Horner and Toto Wolff Share Their Views on Verstappen -Russell Controversy!

Team Principals of Red Bull Racing and Mercedes give their verdict on Spanish GP

The Spanish Grand Prix left Formula 1 with a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. It was an exciting race to say nonetheless. There were overtakes, there was action, there strategy, pretty much everything fans want. However, the race also managed to wreak havoc between two drivers.

The relationship between George Russell and Max Verstappen is already under strain. After the Spanish GP, they came to odds once again and this time for an avoidable reason. Initially, neither Max nor Russell were going to confront each other. But at the crucial moment, Verstappen snapped and drove straight into Russell. The incident was followed by a huge reaction from media and fans.

Max Verstappen is told to let George Russell through and then the two collide! 😲 pic.twitter.com/SpNBwLoGaj
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 1, 2025

After a war of words, FIA’s penalty chart came out. This put Max Verstappen in jeopardy as he is nearing race ban in June 2025. Although fortunately for his image, Max Verstappen issued a public apology for his actions. Here’s what their team principals think about the controversial race.

Christian Horner Accepts Mistake on Max Verstappen’s End

Speaking about the race restart, Christian Horner did not try to evade the allegations. Instead he was providing a clear take on the incident. Hit er says that he has not spoke to Max yet but he does accept that they lost a lot of points due to the penalty. Furthermore, Christian Horner says that Max was indeed upset about giving the place back to George Russell.

“It looked for all intents and purposes that it was going to be a penalty. So, therefore, the instruction was given to Max to give that place back, which he was obviously upset about and annoyed about, because he felt that, one, he’d been left no space and, two, that George hadn’t been fully in control.“

The initial instructions were highly debatable. It was clear that George tried to divebomb Max forcing him off track. The clear verdict as to why stewards conceded it’s Verstappen’s fault for going off road was not provided.

Toto Wolff Refuses to Believe It’s “Road Rage”

While Toto Wolff is a fierce supporter of his drivers, he was understanding of the situation. Wolff, calling Max one of the “greats”, said that he needs to know that world is not against them. He wanted Max to accept that he had committed a mistake which earned everyone’s rebukes.

“I mean, if it was road rage, which I can’t imagine, because it was too obvious, then it’s not good. But the thing is, I don’t know what he aimed for. Did he want to let George pass and immediately repass, put George the car ahead? Then, like the old DRS games, letting him pass the right way?”

He also recounted the 2021 championship but this time for different reasons. Wolff recalled the fact that Verstappen has not repeated the mistakes and aggression from 2021 in the yesteryears.

Christian Horner

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Formula 1 2025 Season

Mercedes Formula 1 Team

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Spanish GP Results

Toto Wolff

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.