Overview

• Max Verstappen holds 11 penalty points on his super licence after colliding with George Russell in Spain and insists he will continue racing unchanged despite the looming one-race ban.
• His 10-second time penalty and three penalty points stemmed from contact at Turn 5 of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which he later described on social media as “not right”.
• George Russell confirms no progress on a contract renewal with Mercedes as the team focuses on its 2025 car and admits Verstappen could be considered if his Red Bull exit clause activates.
• Verstappen is believed to have a clause allowing him to leave Red Bull for 2026 if he fails to finish within the top four of the drivers’ standings by the Austrian Grand Prix, a scenario Christian Horner has called impractical.
• McLaren’s Oscar Piastri leads the drivers’ championship by 49 points over Verstappen and the team holds a healthy gap in the constructors’ standings, intensifying pressure on Red Bull’s title defence.