George Russell isn’t Max Verstappen’s only enemy as ‘unbelievable’ midfield driver keeps incurring his wrath

Follow us on Google Discover

Max Verstappen’s collision with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix marked the latest chapter in their developing rivalry. Verstappen received a 10-second penalty and three penalty points for the incident.

After Red Bull told him to let the Mercedes man through (following a contentious turn-one battle), Verstappen drove in a highly questionable manner. He slowed down on the run to turn five and then appeared to straighten his steering to block Russell off.

This inevitably led to contact, and some F1 fans felt Verstappen deserved a harsher penalty. Parallels were drawn with Sebastian Vettel’s 10-second stop/go for a clash with Lewis Hamilton at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP.

The Verstappen/Russell rivalry exploded at the end of 2024 after the world champion allegedly threatened to put the Englishman ‘on his head in the wall’ in Qatar. They had swapped places on the front row after an impeding penalty.

Russell fiercely rebuked Verstappen in his media duties a week later. There were signs that the tension was cooling, but the events of Barcelona will surely add an extra edge to any future battles between the two.

Franco Colapinto has annoyed Max Verstappen in all three of his races for Alpine

Russell isn’t the only driver who’s drawn the ire of Verstappen, though. Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has been a surprising target in recent weeks.

Colapinto only returned to F1 at Imola following Jack Doohan’s demotion at Alpine. He treated the second practice session in Emilia Romagna as if it were a race as he looked to get back up to speed.

He inadvertently held Verstappen up in the process, which led him to ask, ‘What is this guy doing man, using DRS?’ over the radio.

In Monaco, the second leg of the triple-header, Verstappen was seen furiously gesticulating at Colapinto from the cockpit after a close call through the Massenet corner.

And in an unbroadcast Spanish GP radio, the superstar driver once again ranted about the newcomer’s failure to get out of his way.

“Oh, this is unbelievable, this car. Just staying in front for so long,” he said, following lap 41 blue flags.

Are Alpine already training a Franco Colapinto replacement?

Colapinto was instantly up to speed at Williams last year, but he hasn’t made that kind of impact at Alpine. His record so far reads zero points, three Q1 exits.

Reserve driver Paul Aron has been testing for Alpine at Monza, which has inevitably led some fans to speculate that Flavio Briatore could make another driver change. Colapinto was initially announced on a five-race deal, but the team have since played down the likelihood of a short-term stint.

Colapinto has been putting in extra hours at the Alpine factory in an attempt to close the gap to Pierre Gasly. If he gains a reputation as a driver who lacks awareness, then it could hurt his chances of racing in F1 beyond 2025, or even beyond this summer.