Max Verstappen explodes on the radio after a Red Bull order

Max Verstappen flew into a rage after being forced to give back two positions to Antonelli and Hamilton at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Spanish Grand Prix started in a particularly tense atmosphere for Max Verstappen. Starting third on the grid at the Madring, the Red Bull driver found himself in the middle of a heated battle with Lewis Hamilton from the first corner, before temporarily taking second place behind Lando Norris.

But race control quickly put Red Bull in a difficult situation. After going off track in his duel with Hamilton, Verstappen was ultimately ordered to give back the positions gained. A decision the Dutchman received very badly, believing he simply had no other choice but to leave the track to avoid an accident.

Verstappen forced off track against Hamilton

Everything was decided in the first few meters. Verstappen and Hamilton came side by side into the first corner, the Ferrari driver pushing his opponent to the outside. The four-time world champion then left the track at turn 2.

Despite this incident, Verstappen continued his first lap at a particularly high pace. He then managed to overtake Kimi Antonelli and settle into second position, just behind Norris’s McLaren.

Hamilton immediately contested the situation with Ferrari. The seven-time world champion believed Verstappen had gained an advantage from going off track and therefore had to give the position back. Red Bull, for its part, began studying the situation to avoid a possible penalty.

“If I stay on the track, my race is over”

Verstappen immediately defended his maneuver on the radio. According to him, Hamilton had left him no realistic possibility to stay on the circuit without causing contact between the two cars.

After a few laps, Gianpiero Lambiase finally informed him that he had to give up the positions gained. The Red Bull driver’s reaction was immediate and particularly fierce.

“But man, what are you talking about, damn? He would have hit me.”

Verstappen then insisted that he had left the track only to avoid a collision.

“What are you talking about? If I just stay on the track, my race is over.”

For the Dutchman, it was therefore not an attempt to deliberately gain ground outside the circuit limits, but an essential avoidance maneuver to stay in the race.

Verstappen drops from second to fourth place

Despite his anger, Verstappen finally complied. The Red Bull driver first let Antonelli pass, then Hamilton, thus giving up his second position to fall back to fourth place.

The situation was particularly frustrating since Verstappen had managed to place himself directly behind Norris after only a few corners. In a few moments, he found himself behind the two drivers he had overtaken during this eventful first lap.

His loss of position to Hamilton was, however, only temporary. A few laps later, the Briton’s Ferrari began to suffer from a serious brake problem. After several off-track excursions, Hamilton announced he had “no brakes left” before retiring on lap seven.

A tense start to the race

Hamilton’s retirement thus allowed Verstappen to quickly regain a position and move up to third place. But the start episode leaves the Red Bull driver with an obvious feeling of injustice.

The Dutchman had already expressed many criticisms of the new Madrid circuit before the race, notably concerning the design of certain braking zones and the limited overtaking opportunities. His first lap only added tension to an already turbulent weekend.

For Verstappen, the frustration is all the greater as he believed he had simply chosen the only option to avoid an accident with Hamilton. Red Bull preferred to play it safe by asking him to give back the positions rather than risk a stewards’ intervention, but his radio message leaves no doubt about what he thought of this decision.

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