Verappen in the terminal: only two points to the racetrack!

Verappen in the terminal: only two points to the racetrack!

Spanien, Land - Max Verstappen at the Grand Prix of Spain on June 1, 2025 experienced an outbreak of anger that brings it into a precarious situation. After a collision with George Russell, the Red Bull driver received a ten-second penalty and took tenth place at the end of the race. This punishment also led to three penalty points, which means that Verstappen now has a total of eleven points on his account. From the twelfth point, he threatens a lock for an entire Grand Prix. Verstappen himself said defiantly about the incident and said that it did not matter whether the collision was deliberately caused or not.

Red Bulls Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko expressed frustration over the deficit of two to three tenths of a second compared to the stronger McLaren racing cars. Despite a good start, in which he overtook Lando Norris, Verstappen could not seriously endanger Oscar Piatri, who ultimately won the race and thus celebrated his fifth success. Piatri now leads the driver's ranking with 186 points, followed by Norris with 176 points and Verstappen, which lags far behind with 137 points.

race course and punishments

Piatri performed an impressive performance in the race, while Lando Norris took second place and Charles Leclerc came to the finish line without being imposed on him after a maneuver against Verstappen. Nico Hülkenberg ended the race in fifth place after overtaking Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen had seen a positive race course before the collision and prospect a possible third place.

The situation around punishments in Formula 1 remains delicate. In the 2023 season, a total of 170 penalties were pronounced in 22 races, an increase compared to previous years. The disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Grand Prix of the USA, which caused a sensation, were striking. Verstappen, who now received 38 of his punishments for violations of the route limits, must therefore particularly make sure that they do not collect any further points in the upcoming races that could lead to a lock.

The role of the Safety cars

In Formula 1, the safety car plays a crucial role, especially in the event of accidents. There are two types of safety cars: the physical safety car that reduces the speed of the drivers, and the virtual safety car (VSC) that has been used since 2015. Mercedes and Aston Martin have been sharing the tasks of the safety car since 2021. These systems are important for security on the route because they stop reducing their speed in critical situations. Bernd Mayländer, who has acted as a driver of the safety car since 2000, has completed over 700 laps in Formula 1.

The last changes in the rules that were introduced after a controversial restart at the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2021 have once again tightened the rules of the game for teams and drivers. Listed cars must now pass the safety car before the race is restarted, which ensures additional strategic considerations.

In the coming time, Verstappen will not only have to pay attention to team performance, but also for his own discipline to avoid a lock in the next race.