Former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner has blamed Red Bull for triggering Max Verstappen in the final stage of the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. The frustration then led to a crash with George Russell, which resulted in Verstappen receiving a 10-second time penalty. In addition, three points were added to his FIA Super License.
Steiner, who parted ways with the American outfit early last year, described Verstappen’s state of mind after the safety car restart, when just a few laps remained. Due to the unavailability of fresh soft and medium tires, Red Bull fitted Verstappen’s RB21 F1 car with hard tires, a decision that made him furious after the pit stop.
Struggling to get the tires to temperature, the safety car restart saw the four-time world champion lose the rear of his RB21 in the last corner, but he managed to keep it on track. This allowed Charles Leclerc to pass him and secure the third spot.
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Russell also took advantage of the situation at Turn 1, but after being clipped by the British driver, Verstappen left the track and took the exit road before returning to the same position on the circuit behind Leclerc. However, Red Bull then asked Verstappen to give P4 to Russell over the radio to avoid a potential penalty.
Despite his hesitation, he yielded the position to Russell, only to make contact with the Mercedes W16 in the very next corner. Steiner explained that the biggest factor for Verstappen’s raging temper was Red Bull’s decision to fit new hard tires, while rival cars raced on softs. Speaking on the incident with Russell on the Red Flags podcast, Steiner said:
“I think he [Verstappen] lost his mind there. He was not used to that.
“He was so upset about the tires they put him on. I think that triggered it, and not many drivers… When he got on the gas and got sideways at the restart, there are not many drivers who could catch a car like this.
“That was pretty brutal. He caught it, but obviously, in his mind, it was like, ‘I’m done here. I’m f***ed.’
“And just then, he couldn’t get it together anymore. It was weird because he’s a little temperamental, but not this much.
“Max, just in the end there, he did everything what he normally shouldn’t be doing.”
Newsweek Sports reported Verstappen’s comments after the race, where he admitted that the safety car restart fueled his frustration. Being just one point away from a race ban, it remains to be seen whether the Red Bull driver can prevent himself from attracting further penalties.