Verstappen explains his side following Hamilton clash during Spanish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton started in fourth and had an excellent getaway when the Spanish Grand Prix got underway. When the scrummage for track position ensued on the first lap, drivers were pushed wide to avoid collisions; due to the tight nature of the track, overtaking has proven to be difficult throughout the weekend.
One of those drivers was Max Verstappen, who cut the corner in Turn 3 to hold on to third place. Hamilton was unhappy with what unfolded, as calls from the Briton asked for the position back. When Verstappen had to reluctantly give the position back, the Dutchman wasn't happy, saying he had to run wide as Hamilton "almost shunted into me."
After further protests, he conceded the position to avoid a penalty, but made his way back into the top three when Hamilton was forced to retire due to brake issues.
“It’s just a bit the nature of the track,” Verstappen said when quizzed about the first lap incident.
“When you have that track layout with so much tarmac, people of course risk [going] for a move, and I saw what happened – Lewis clipped the kerb so he was going to run wide.
“I think if I would’ve stayed on the track, you touch, and there’s a big risk of damage. I decided to drive next to the track, and then of course the team told me to give the position back, which I did. After that, I just tried to do my race.”
Verstappen expressed his annoyance over the radio when he was ordered to give the position back. Following the race, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies reflected on the situation.
He explained the call was to protect Verstappen's race, as they didn't want to receive a five-to-ten second penalty from an investigation by the stewards, which in a track with few overtaking opportunities would've been a tough challenge to overcome:
"Look, it's always going to be a painful and a difficult decision, but the guys on the pit wall had a very, very good look at it and did the analysis fast, because we had to make decisions fast, and of course we were not expecting the 'thank you' email at that moment from Max in the car,
"But we felt it was better to take the pain at that moment and to fight back after, which Max has done exceptionally well as always, rather than wait and risk bigger penalties that could have been more costly later on."
"The decision of the stewards is never to give back positions; in that case we would have simply been penalised, either five seconds or 10 seconds - it's at their discretion.
"So that's what would have happened and, of course, if you can imagine race scenarios with safety car or other circumstances, it can cost you a lot more than the position or two," he explained to F1 TV.
"So luckily Max gave away the positions before Lewis retired and ultimately continued to fight the race from that point. And of course it is frustrating, but in fairness I think P2 was the absolute best we could have achieved today."
Verstappen rounded the race out in a strong second, his sixth podium of 2026, especially after coming under late pressure from Lando Norris.
“Looking at the race pace, I think it’s a great result,
“Of course, we know that Lando got unlucky with that VSC, so for us I think P2 is an incredible result because you could see how much Lando was catching me.”
Despite the early setback, Verstappen crossed the line in second to take back-to-back podiums in both Monza and Madrid as the Dutchman sits in fifth, 22 points behind Charles Leclerc in the 2026 standings.
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