Max Verstappen accused of losing his mind after 'brutal' moment

Guenther Steiner believes Max Verstappen "lost his mind" during the Spanish Grand Prix incident that saw him drive his Red Bull into the side of George Russell.

A late safety car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya adversely affected the Milton Keynes squad's aggressive three-stop strategy, which was proving to be a successful approach up until that point, with the Dutchman's RB21 in third and mounting the pressure on Lando Norris ahead.

However, it left the four-time F1 drivers' champion without race-appropriate tyres to pit onto when the safety car was introduced because of Kimi Antonelli's retirement, whilst those around him were filing in for newer rubber.

In the melee, a breakdown in communication between Verstappen and the Red Bull pit wall led to him being put on fresh hard tyres, the only real option left available. This left the 65-time grand prix winner at the mercy of Charles Leclerc and George Russell behind.

A heavy snap of oversteer at the restart allowed both drivers to attack, with contact being made with the former down the pit straight and the latter through Turn 1 - neither of which was Verstappen's fault.

But when Red Bull advised him to hand the position back to Russell to avoid potential punishment for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, the red mist descended.

Ultimately acquiescing with that recommendation on lap 64 of 66, before the Mercedes was fully ahead, the 27-year-old stepped on the accelerator, initiating contact at Turn 5.

"Panic, maybe, is the wrong word, but I think he lost his mind there," Steiner said on The Red Flags Podcast. "He was not used to that.

"He was so upset about the tyres they put him on. I think that triggered it, and not many drivers... when he got on the gas and got sideways at the restart, there are not many drivers who could catch a car like this.

"That was pretty brutal. He caught it, but obviously, in his mind, it was like, 'I'm done here. I'm fucked.'

"And just then, he couldn't get it together anymore. It was weird because he's a little temperamental, but not this much."

Red Bull 'pushed McLaren pretty hard'

The former Haas team principal highlighted how well Red Bull had handled the race up until the safety car period, when its strategy began to unravel. 

The incident earned Verstappen a 10-second time penalty, dropping him from fifth to P10 at the chequered flag.

"I think he was so disappointed, because in the end, he did a good race until then. The three stop of Red Bull was very good," Steiner added.

"I think they pushed McLaren pretty hard, as hard as they can with the car they've got, but, no.

"But Max, just in the end there, he did everything what he normally shouldn't be doing."