Former Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg has strongly criticized the 10-second penalty given to Max Verstappen during the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, claiming it was far too lenient. In Rosberg’s view, Verstappen’s contact with George Russell was deliberate and should have resulted in a disqualification.
During the final laps of the race, following the safety car period, Russell launched a bold move on Verstappen into Turn 1. The two touched, and Verstappen cut through the run-off area, rejoining the track ahead of the Mercedes driver.
Red Bull instructed Verstappen to let Russell pass in anticipation of a possible penalty, but the Dutchman refused. During the position swap, another contact occurred, prompting stewards to hand Verstappen a 10-second time penalty.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Rosberg explained: “The first contact was George’s fault. He went in too fast, lost control, and hit Max. But what came afterward was unacceptable.” Rosberg accused Verstappen of slowing down on purpose and retaliating: “He was furious, and said, ‘This is unfair, I’ll show him.’ That’s a dangerous move.”
Rosberg compared the incident to Sebastian Vettel’s infamous crash into Lewis Hamilton at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, stating: “If you wait for a rival and hit them on purpose, that’s a black flag offense. There’s no room in the sport for this behavior.”