The incident occurred during the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona following a safety-car restart. Verstappen was defending his position when George Russell launched an attack in his Mercedes.
The Red Bull Racing driver left the track and used an escape road to avoid a more serious collision while staying ahead.
Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase instructed Verstappen to give the position back to Russell, a decision that frustrated the Dutchman. When Verstappen eventually moved aside, he then made contact with Russell’s Mercedes, sparking immediate controversy.
The stewards concluded that Verstappen was responsible for the collision and handed him a 10-second time penalty. The punishment dropped him from fifth to ninth in the final classification, costing valuable championship points during a season in which he narrowly missed out on securing a fifth consecutive world title.
The four-time world champion was also given three penalty points on his super licence. That took his total to 11 points within a 12-month period, leaving him just one point away from an automatic one-race suspension.
Reflecting on the incident later in the year, Verstappen admitted the moment was far from ideal.
“What happened there was obviously not pretty, but it also happened because I really care about something,” he said.
Over the past year, several previous penalty points have expired, including those received for the clash with Russell. As a result, Verstappen now heads into the next chapter of the season with a completely clean slate.
His focus now turns to the Monaco Grand Prix, which will be held on the famous streets of Monte Carlo from 5 to 7 June, where the Red Bull driver will be looking to put the events of the past firmly behind him.
