Raging Bull

All the "setting a bad example for kids" cringe aside, Verstappen ramming Russell is indefensible, even from a Machiavellian perspective.

Max Verstappen had been fantastic for like 90% of the Spanish Grand Prix, but his race deteriorated from superb to poor, then to very poor, and ultimately to disastrous within just a few laps. From a pristine, fluffy cloud, he plummeted face-first into murky, muddy water.

The Falling Dominos

On lap 54, Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered an engine failure and halted his car in the gravel, prompting the Safety Car to neutralize the race.

Every top team pitted their drivers for fresher rubber. Red Bull fitted new hards on Verstappen’s car. Reportedly, they did not have any more suitable tires available, partly due to the three-stop strategy that had allowed them to apply some pressure on the leading McLarens.

Verstappen, already at a disadvantage at the restart compared to his competitors on used softs, nearly lost the car at the exit of the final corner. The rear of the Red Bull slid as if it were competing in motorcycle speedway rather than Formula 1. The Dutchman reacted instantly, like a cat evading a strike from a venomous snake, applying opposite lock on the steering wheel to avoid a spin—or perhaps something even worse.

Consequently, Verstappen lost momentum, which allowed Charles Leclerc to easily out-drag the Red Bull on the main straight. The drivers made contact, which, fortunately, was inconsequential.

The angered Dutchman not only lost P3 before Turn 1, but he also had to fend off George Russell’s attack on the inside of that corner. The maneuver looked okay from both sides until the Brit momentarily lost control of his car and collided with Verstappen. Following the contact, the Red Bull driver took evasive action and cut the corner.

On lap 64, three tours after the Turn 1 argy-bargy, the Dutchman's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, instructed his driver to yield his position to Russell, as the stewards had decided to investigate the matter. Verstappen furiously argued against relinquishing the position.

Ultimately, he obliged and allowed the Mercedes driver to pass on the short straight before Turn 5, only to accelerate and launch the car like a ballistic missile and ram Russell, as if he owed him money and was attempting to flee from repaying the debt.

A 10-second penalty was the consequence of launching the missile. As a result, Verstappen finished the race in P10, instead of P5. Furthermore, he earned 3 penalty points, bringing his total to 11, which leaves him just one point away from a race ban.

Smart and Dumb Violence

Ruthlessness can serve as a competitive advantage. Furthermore, it is a tool that, in theory, every driver possesses, yet few are daring to use it.

Looking strictly through Machiavellian and amoral lenses, Verstappen traumatizing Lando Norris last year in Austria and Mexico was a strategic and effective use of this tool. In terms of points, it resulted in a net gain and contributed to winning the championship.

Ramming Russell only contributed to the poor race result, the loss of points to the McLaren drivers, and the risk of a ban. What did the Dutchman gain in return? A retaliation against someone whom Verstappen believed had wronged him?

This was just stupid violence, a self-sabotage, the reptilian brain braking the bars of the human cage, and biting the neck of the motherfucker who had dared to get in the Dutchman’s way. It must have been satisfying, I’m sure, but was it worth the cost?

The tire disadvantage, the oversteer during the restart, the contacts with Leclerc and Russell, and the message from Lambiase—it was as if Verstappen had been bitten five times by bullet ants in quick succession and had gone berserk from the pain. While the frustration is understandable, the poor anger management is not.

Just take a baseball bat and vent it on the interior of your hotel room. You're wealthy enough to afford it.

Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Even though Verstappen may have experienced short-term satisfaction, Russell ultimately has had the last laugh. After the race, the Mercedes driver accurately assessed the straightforward gain-loss calculation:

It doesn't really make sense to deliberately crash into somebody and risk damaging your own car, risk a penalty.

In the end, I'm not going to lose sleep over it because I ultimately benefited from those antics.

Thanks for fourth place and 12 points, lad.

I understand Verstappen's sentiment that he is not truly in the championship fight. If Red Bull struggled to compete with McLaren in Barcelona following the crackdown on flexi-wings, it is unlikely they will challenge them on other tracks that are even less suited to their car, such as Montreal, Baku, or Singapore.

The Dutchman is more of an occasional disruptor in the championship battle between the McLaren drivers rather than a serious contender. Therefore, in the long run, the incident with Russell will likely prove to be irrelevant.

Still, he is paid to perform and score points, both for himself and for the team. And he failed the team.

To be fair, Red Bull also blundered. The call to allow Russell to pass was incorrect. According to the stewards, there was no need for it:

From the radio communications, it was clear that the driver of Car 1 was asked by his team to ‘give the position back’ to Car 63 for what they perceived to be an earlier breach by Car 1 for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage (in fact, we had later determined that we would take no further action in relation to that incident).

That makes two very bitter pills that Red Bull had to swallow in Spain. The unpleasant taste will likely linger in their mouths for the two long weeks leading up to the next race in Canada.