Russell believes Verstappen intentionally hit him with ‘go-karting’ manoeuvre

Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two in Barcelona, with plenty of drama unfolding behind the pair after a late safety car.

That safety car – introduced after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli experienced a power unit failure and ran onto the gravel – was lifted with six laps remaining, causing carnage in the battle for third.

Verstappen felt Charles Leclerc rammed him on the overtake straight after the restart, and moments later, Russell appeared to nudge the Red Bull driver off the track.

The four-time world champion recovered brilliantly to cling onto fourth place, but as he continued to struggle with his unfavoured hard tyres, he was advised to let Russell pass over team radio.

He appeared to slow down and let Russell in, only to steer into the Mercedes driver and land a 10-second penalty, dropping him all the way to 10th.

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg, working as a pundit for Sky Sports, suggested Verstappen should have been disqualified and suspended for the move, and Russell agreed it was premeditated.

“I was as surprised as you guys were,” he told Sky Sports. “I’ve seen those sorts of manoeuvres before on simulator games and go-karting, but never in F1.

“Ultimately we came home in P4, and he came home in P10. I don’t really know what was going through his mind. It felt deliberate in the moment, so it felt surprising.”

Back then, Russell described Verstappen as a “bully”, while the Dutchman fired back that the Mercedes driver was a “loser” and a “backstabber”.

Verstappen is known for his aggressive driving style, and Russell referenced the two 10-second penalties he received while battling Norris at last year’s Mexican Grand Prix when asked if his rival should face further punishment.

“I’m too close to give my opinion on behalf of the drivers,” Russell said. “It’s like in Austin last year, some of the best moves ever, then you go to Mexico and he lets himself down a bit.

“You go to Imola with one of the best moves of all-time, then this happens. It cost him and his team a lot of points. Charles and I actually dropped off like a stone on those last two laps.

“He probably could have come back to fight for the podium, so I won’t lose any sleep. We have our own problems and that’s making our car go faster.”