Max Verstappen just One Penalty Away from Race Ban?
- By Dr. AK Rana
The numbers are simple. Accumulate 12 penalty points within 12 months, and you’re out for one race.Max Verstappen stands right there.
It’s the FIA’s hard stop.
And as it stands,
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Max Verstappen is right on the edge—after receiving a 10-second penalty in the chaotic Spanish Grand Prix for a collision with George Russell.
We predicted it last year.
If anyone was going to flirt with that limit, it would be Max.
But this time… was he really to blame?
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The Chaos Begins: Kimi Antonelli’s Mysterious Power Failure
The drama started when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes suffered yet another power failure, triggering a late safety car.
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At this point, it’s becoming a mystery how a team like Mercedes can’t figure out what’s shorting Antonelli’s car almost every other race.
It’s déjà vu with wires.
That safety car completely changed the race complexion.
Until then, Red Bull’s three-stop strategy was working like clockwork.
They had a rhythm.
They had the pace.
Then came the safety car… and the tyre crisis.
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Tyre Troubles: No Softs Left for Max
Most teams pitted for soft tyres during the safety car.
Red Bull?
Out of luck.
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They had no new softs left and were forced to put Max Verstappen on brand-new hard tyres—a compound no one else dared touch, and for good reason.
New doesn’t mean good, especially not when grip is the name of the game.
The result?
Verstappen’s car was sliding all over the place.
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The Restart Mayhem: Gripless and Vulnerable
As the race restarted, Charles Leclerc made a clean move on Max, thanks to soft ones.
Max Verstappen went slightly wide, barely holding on—and that small wobble led to a bit of contact.
But the real chaos came from behind.
George Russell, on softs and smelling opportunity, lunged forward. The two cars touched again—this time Max was forced off track. Then came the controversial moment.
Verstappen’s engineer GP quickly told Max to consider giving the position back to avoid a penalty.
Max hesitated, debated.
Before anything could happen, Russell came back for more.
This time, Max defended aggressively, and they collided again.
The stewards blamed Max, slapped him with a 10-second penalty, and moved on.
George Russell?
Not even a warning.
Russell walked away happy—no podium, no win, but grinning ear-to-ear at Max’s penalty.
He even dropped a jab:
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“I don’t know why he does so. He cost so much points to the team.”
Strong words from someone who hasn’t seen the top step—in 2025.
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Strategy Shattered, Championship Hopes Slipping
Max admitted post-race:
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“Not every safety car means you need to pit.”
He referenced Monaco, where Red Bull waited endlessly for a red flag that never came.
In Spain, they went all in—and the gamble backfired.
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Had both McLarens pitted while Max stayed out, maybe—just maybe—he could’ve won the race.
But F1 isn’t built on maybes.
More than anything, this hurt his title fight.
Before Spain, Max was just 20 points off the lead.
Now?
That gap has widened—and a one-race ban would all but bury his championship chances.
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A Ban on the Horizon?
One more penalty, and Max is out for a race.
Would that hurt Red Bull?
Absolutely.
But here’s the wild part—
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Max might not mind missing one weekend, especially if it lines up with a round in his favourite racing series as Franz Herman.
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Hulkenberg Shines in P5
Amid the chaos, there was one feel-good story: Nico Hülkenberg.
He dragged that Kick Sauber to an incredible P5 finish, proving once again why fans have long believed in his talent.
He’s never had a truly competitive car, but days like this show he deserves praise—and maybe even a proper shot at a podium.
We live in hope.
Next Stop: Canada
Will Max keep it clean? Will Red Bull recover? Will Russell keep grinning?
Only time will tell.
Until then, share your thoughts, predictions, and opinions with us at Halleysclinic.com
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also read How VCARB and Williams turned Blue Flags into Big points?
