Verstappen appeared to back off exiting Turn 4 but subsequently hit the side of Russell's car into Turn 5. Verstappen was deemed culpable and handed a 10-second penalty, demoting him from fifth to 10th, as well as three penalty points—putting him one penalty point away from a one-race suspension.

Call it petulance or frustration; it was an inexcusable lapse of judgment from a driver. Using one's car as a weapon against another competitor on track is unacceptable, and the 10-second penalty that Verstappen earned as a result dropped him to 10th place at the end,

Lando Norris can retake the Formula One championship lead from Oscar Piastri in Spain this weekend but both said Max Verstappen remained a threat and the battle was not just a duel between McLaren teammates.