Piastri shines but reckless Verstappen pays penalty

Max Verstappen has worked hard to throw off a reputation for being reckless and indeed dangerous at times on track.

- Giles Richards

Max Verstappen has worked hard to throw off a reputation for being reckless and indeed dangerous at times on track. Efforts that were left sorely damaged after he displayed a moment of anger at the Spanish Grand Prix that tarnished his standing as both a four-time champion and an enormously accomplished driver, quite apart from potentially costing him the world championship.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri won at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with an accomplished drive from pole, beating his teammate Lando Norris into second place and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc into third. Yet it was Verstappen's moment of ill-judged anger for which the race will be remembered and which will not be forgotten when the Dutchman's legacy comes to be considered.

The moment itself, after Verstappen had been instructed to give a place back to Mercedes' George Russell after a late safety car had led the two to make contact on the restart at turn one, was over in the blink of an eye. Verstappen, clearly furious at a series of events since the restart, moved over then, as Russell went past, apparently accelerated deliberately into the side of the Mercedes.

He was swiftly given a 10-second penalty, demoting him from fifth over the line to 10th, when at one point a podium place might have been a possibility. The defending champion has been admirably clinging on to the title fight thus far but this has cost him dearly.

Piastri has extended his lead over Norris to 10 points but Verstappen is now 49 behind, losing almost the equivalent of a DNF in one fell swoop in Barcelona. Moreover, with three penalty points applied to his licence, he is now only one short of receiving a one-race ban.