Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Mercedes F1 driver George Russell said how he feels about Max Verstappen and the Red Bull racer’s prospects of a race ban

George Russell has reflected on his clash with Max Verstappen in Barcelona(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

George Russell thinks rival Max Verstappen deserves a Formula 1 race ban for his “reckless” driving. But the Brit backtracked on his previous claim that the Dutchman intentionally rammed him at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago.

Verstappen was handed a time penalty and also three points were added to his racing licence, taking him up to 11. One more gained at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix would see the Red Bull racer banned for his team’s home race in Austria later this month. And that, Russell believes, would be a fitting punishment.

He said: “If [Verstappen] gets to 12 points, [a ban] wouldn’t be unjust. At the end of the day, that’s why the penalty points are there. If you keep driving recklessly you will accumulate points, and get punished with a race ban. You’ve got it in your own hands and it doesn’t go without risk.

“He was trying to run me off the road. I don’t think he was trying to intentionally crash into me. He wanted to just sort of scare me a bit, but he just misjudged it. Again, it wasn’t going to scare me, it was just all a bit surprising.”

Verstappen issued a statement the morning after the Barcelona race in which he admitted he was wrong to have collided with Russell. That social media post did not include an apology, though Russell says he is not after one and was simply surprised to see Verstappen shoulder the blame.

He said: “I’m not looking for an apology. His actions cost him and they benefited me, so I should be almost thanking him. Obviously, I’d be feeling very differently if it took me out of the race. But it is good to see that he took accountability. I was a bit surprised about that.”

Should he incur a race ban, Verstappen would become only the second F1 driver to do so under the penalty points system after Kevin Magnussen last year. It would be a blow to the Dutchman’s fading hopes of retaining his drivers’ crown, but when asked if he felt a ban would force Verstappen to change his ways, Russell replied: “I don’t think so.”

The Brit made the most of his weekend off by jetting to Paris last Sunday to watch the breathtaking French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. And that provided an unexpected opportunity for Russell and Verstappen to chat.

The Mercedes driver said: “We bumped into each other at the airport on Sunday morning when I was going to Roland Garros. To be honest, I totally forgot about Barcelona because he was there with his newborn, and we were at the security machine. He just had a quick chat and then he was busy folding the pram down to put it through the machine.”

Russell is fourth in the drivers’ standings, one place behind Verstappen heading into Sunday’s Montreal race. Oscar Piastri leads the championship by 10 points from Brit Lando Norris after his fifth win of the season in Barcelona.