[G MONEY]

Originally Posted by wizardofOz

Someone guy who may not be competing in the next race because he busted his hand in a rage quit moment, it's a shame honestly

I was being sarcastic. Does it really matter if he misses a race or 10? I mean,let’s be honest, other than the top 6-7 dudes who gives a shit? They are all racing for 10-last. getting paid crazy money to finish 15 every week. Must be nice

[wizardofOz]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

I was being sarcastic. Does it really matter if he misses a race or 10? I mean,let’s be honest, other than the top 6-7 dudes who gives a shit? They are all racing for 10-last. getting paid crazy money to finish 15 every week. Must be nice

Yea I know, it's all good. I guess not everyone gets to be in their position.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

Stroll, who is that!?!?

Originally Posted by wizardofOz

Someone guy who may not be competing in the next race because he busted his hand in a rage quit moment, it's a shame honestly

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Poor Lance! Is there a go-fund collection for him...

[wizardofOz]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Looks like Halloween

[G30M]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

I was being sarcastic. Does it really matter if he misses a race or 10? I mean,let’s be honest, other than the top 6-7 dudes who gives a shit? They are all racing for 10-last. getting paid crazy money to finish 15 every week. Must be nice

That's all that matters at the end of the day. I would be an Albon or Bottas for 20 years if I could. Never have to work a day in their life. Just lie down once a week (F1 cockpit position is not sitting) and try not to crash.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by G30M

That's all that matters at the end of the day. I would be an Albon or Bottas for 20 years if I could. Never have to work a day in their life. Just lie down once a week (F1 cockpit position is not sitting) and try not to crash.

Think again. See here.

See also for example:

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Think again. See here.

See also for example:

But I like doing those things, how can exercise be work! I do exercise before and after work for fun!

Granted, it would be torture if an F1 driver hates exercise!

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Think again. See here.

There was none of this nonsense in the old days, then a shot of the hard stuff and a ciggie to steady the nerves before the race a la James Hunt and others.
A lot of todays drivers are cissies and don't drink at all like Norris, MAX at least likes a few swigs of champagne then a G&T to celebrate a win while freaky Norris wastes all of it with his clumsy podium ritual.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

There was none of this nonsense in the old days, then a shot of the hard stuff and a ciggie to steady the nerves before the race a la James Hunt and others.
A lot of todays drivers are cissies and don't drink at all like Norris, MAX at least likes a few swigs of champagne then a G&T to celebrate a win while freaky Norris wastes all of it with his clumsy podium ritual.

"From Sweat to Spray: The Toasty Tradition of Champagne in Sports Celebrations" (11 June 2024)
https://glassofbubbly.com/from-sweat...-celebrations/

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

"From Sweat to Spray: The Toasty Tradition of Champagne in Sports Celebrations" (11 June 2024)
https://glassofbubbly.com/from-sweat...-celebrations/

It is only natural to break open a bottle and enjoy a glass or two (or out of the bottle) after any grand sporting occasion and there's nothing stopping the 4th and onwards placed finishers in F1 from having their own Monsigny Brut.

[Artemis]

It would be interesting to know Russell's genuine opinion. This looks like sugar-coating by Russell with the (vain) hope to avoid payback by Verstappen in the foreseeable future.

To my eyes, the second collision with Russell, was a deliberate act out of frustration by Verstappen. But I concur that Russell underservedly got off the hook - he should have gotten a penalty too for forcing Verstappen off the track. The fact that Russell collided with Verstappen (first collision) because of a temporary loss of control of his car, matters for a penalty, regardless whether it was not intended to collide with Verstappen. Russell badly negotiated the turn, collided with a competitor (Verstappen), requiring the latter to take evasive action (off track).

"Russell 'surprised' Verstappen 'had taken responsibility' for Spain collision
F1 - 13 June 2025
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...UYy3sabNcwbEk1
George Russell admits he was "surprised" that Max Verstappen "had taken responsibility" for their clash in Spain via social media, and that they hadn't discussed the incident despite bumping into each other at the airport.

The Mercedes driver came to blows with Verstappen last time out in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, having gone wheel-to-wheel at Turn 1 after a Safety Car restart with Verstappen running off the track at Turn 1.
Having rejoined ahead of Russell, the Dutchman was told by his Red Bull team to let the Briton through, eventually backing off on the exit of Turn 4 before accelerating and colliding with Russell through the following left-hand turn.
The reigning World Champion eventually conceded the position and finished fifth on the road, but a 10-second penalty for the collision dropped him to 10th, as he later posted on Instagram the following day that it was "a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened".
Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Russell explained that he believed Verstappen was "just trying to get his elbows out and show who's boss" rather than it being a deliberate, premeditated act and insisted there were no issues between the pair.
"Obviously it would have been a different feeling had it taken me out of the race but ultimately I benefitted from it and he was penalised," said Russell.
"I was a bit surprised to see he had taken responsibility, so fine. But I haven't spoken to him about it. We actually bumped into each other at the airport the other day but I actually completely forgot we crashed into each other a few days prior. No issues."
As well as the time penalty, Verstappen was also handed three penalty points on his licence, which means he sits just a single point away from a one-race ban.
It means the Dutchman will need to make it through the Canadian and Austrian weekends without incident to avoid being left on the sidelines before two of those 11 points will be wiped after a 12-month period.
When asked whether it was right the reigning World Champion might be forced to miss a race, Russell pointed out the regulations were the same for everyone.
"I think that's how it should be in racing," he explained. "At the end of the day if you take on risky moves and you get it wrong you get penalised and, if you get your points, you'll be banned for a race.
"I'm not going to sit here and say X, Y, Z because it's ultimately not really my problem. It's his problem. I'm looking forward to the weekend and then go from there. That's racing."
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen was also asked about the incident and how being on the brink of a ban would change his approach this weekend.
"There’s nothing I can do about it so we just focus ahead and try to do the best we can every single time," he said. "It’s not changing my approach and I cannot speak for others.
“If you look at it in general, yeah, missing a race is not ideal but it’s not the end of the world.”"

Jacques Villeneuve's take:

"Villeneuve leaps to Max Verstappen’s defence in Russell ‘penalty’ call
PlanetF1 - 13 June 2025
https://www.planetf1.com/news/jacque...ot-intentional
Jacques Villeneuve is having none of the theory that Max Verstappen’s Spanish GP collision with George Russell was “intentional”.
Furthermore, amid the growing threat of a race ban for Verstappen, Villeneuve claimed Russell “deserved a penalty” for the prior banging of wheels at Turn 1 which saw Verstappen take to the run-off and return to the track still ahead of the Mercedes driver.
Max Verstappen v George Russell: FIA verdicts correct?
Verstappen received two whacks following the race restart in Barcelona as the Safety Car returned to the pits, first from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc down the main straight, and another from Russell into Turn 1, neither incident drawing punishment.
But, with Verstappen told to relinquish P4 to Russell having been sent into the run-off, contact followed at Turn 5, Verstappen seemingly allowing Russell through, only to get back on the power and hit the side of the Mercedes.
For that, the stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty and three Super Licence penalty points, taking his 12-month tally to 11. One more therefore picked up at the Canadian or Austrian GP would trigger a one-race ban.
1997 World Champion Villeneuve is convinced that Verstappen’s collision with Russell was “not intentional”, as he pointed the finger back at Russell for the earlier incident at Turn 1, a coming together which Villeneuve said should not have gone unpunished.
“He immediately wanted to regain the position, but completely messed it up, and people immediately shouted that he did it on purpose and that he wanted to crash Russell out,” Villeneuve continued, speaking to a gambling platform.
“The crazy thing is: Russell deserved a penalty. He hit Max on the rear wheel entering Turn 1.
“According to the rules, that leads to forcing a collision and pushing another driver off the track. So why didn’t he get a penalty for that?
“If there are rules, they should always apply to everyone. Russell deserved a penalty.
“Verstappen lost a lot of points because of that penalty; he only got 10th.
“He knows he doesn’t have the best car, then to still get results, he has to drive at the limit, or even over it, and at some point that leads to mistakes or misjudgements, and that makes his fight for the world title a lot harder.”"

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Artemis

It would be interesting to know Russell's genuine opinion. This looks like sugar-coating by Russell with the (vain) hope to avoid payback by Verstappen in the foreseeable future.

with all due respect, i really don't think Russell is scared of Max. even without Jonny Herbert the stewards are pretty clear on what they are going to penalise. If Max breaks the rules Max gets penalised, George is not fighting for WDC. his potential on any given weekend is a podium, Max potential on any given weekend is a win. he was again fastest in FP1 in Montreal.

not sure what your thoughts are about. not many people are afraid of racing Max other than Lando. and maybe Oscar if he starts to think about the WDC, but then again, maybe not. yes most people will lose out when they race Max but that doesn't mean they are scared of him.

for example, I know for sure Charles is not scared of inchidents, even though he acknowledged that Max beat him real good and disappeared into the distance. Others I'm thinking are there or thereabouts.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by G30M

with all due respect, i really don't think Russell is scared of Max. even without Jonny Herbert the stewards are pretty clear on what they are going to penalise. If Max breaks the rules Max gets penalised, George is not fighting for WDC. his potential on any given weekend is a podium, Max potential on any given weekend is a win. he was again fastest in FP1 in Montreal.

not sure what your thoughts are about. not many people are afraid of racing Max other than Lando. and maybe Oscar if he starts to think about the WDC, but then again, maybe not. yes most people will lose out when they race Max but that doesn't mean they are scared of him.

for example, I know for sure Charles is not scared of inchidents, even though he acknowledged that Max beat him real good and disappeared into the distance. Others I'm thinking are there or thereabouts.

On the other hand ..

Does RUS have a 2026 contract ? NO (!)
Does RUS have a contract extension ? NO (!)

I don't think RUS can afford to take many risks in a fight with MAX and crash .
While Wolff is non-stop fishing to get MAX at Mercedes.

[HeelToeShift]

Originally Posted by G30M

with all due respect, i really don't think Russell is scared of Max. even without Jonny Herbert the stewards are pretty clear on what they are going to penalise. If Max breaks the rules Max gets penalised, George is not fighting for WDC. his potential on any given weekend is a podium, Max potential on any given weekend is a win. he was again fastest in FP1 in Montreal.

not sure what your thoughts are about. not many people are afraid of racing Max other than Lando. and maybe Oscar if he starts to think about the WDC, but then again, maybe not. yes most people will lose out when they race Max but that doesn't mean they are scared of him.

for example, I know for sure Charles is not scared of inchidents, even though he acknowledged that Max beat him real good and disappeared into the distance. Others I'm thinking are there or thereabouts.

I don't think anyone is necessarily scared of anyone else on the grid. I do think most guys do not want to race as hard as him, but that's primarily where I see the delta. I lean towards much more penalty lenient atmosphere that allows drivers to be a bit more forceful and hold their ground. Then again, you see the very biased nature of 'it's ok to force a guy off or hold your ground' as long as it's not Max making the maneuver.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

On the other hand ..

Does RUS have a 2026 contract ? NO (!)
Does RUS have a contract extension ? NO (!)

I don't think RUS can afford to take many risks in a fight with MAX and crash .
While Wolff is non-stop fishing to get MAX at Mercedes.

i'm not sure how contracts work but he's going to get a drive next year. it might be Haas or something but he'll get a drive! his position at Mercedes does not depend on what he does or does not do, it was never in his hands.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by G30M

with all due respect, i really don't think Russell is scared of Max. even without Jonny Herbert the stewards are pretty clear on what they are going to penalise. If Max breaks the rules Max gets penalised, George is not fighting for WDC. his potential on any given weekend is a podium, Max potential on any given weekend is a win. he was again fastest in FP1 in Montreal.

not sure what your thoughts are about. not many people are afraid of racing Max other than Lando. and maybe Oscar if he starts to think about the WDC, but then again, maybe not. yes most people will lose out when they race Max but that doesn't mean they are scared of him.

for example, I know for sure Charles is not scared of inchidents, even though he acknowledged that Max beat him real good and disappeared into the distance. Others I'm thinking are there or thereabouts.

I trust that Russell is afraid of Raymond Vermeulen (Verstappen's manager) giving Toto Wolff or Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS) a call to schedule a new meeting to discuss "2026" (they already met last year). Russell is aware that, through a right of first refusal to get a 2026 Mercedes seat, Verstappen has the discretionary power to completely block his future at Mercedes after Abu Dhabi 2025. Russell is second choice and he knows it - and should he be in denial, he should wonder why he still got no contract extension. Ever noticed that, compared to 2021, Toto Wolff remains considerably kind and appreciative about Verstappen since quite some time ?

If Wolff and Ratcliffe can't get Verstappen for 2026, they will try to reel him in for 2027.

Prediction: if Russell gets a contract extension for 2026, it will be like Bottas (2017-2021): 1 year. Bottas hated the pressure. Toto Wollf told him that "pressure is what makes diamonds". Russell may hear it too, shortly.

"Bottas: Constant pressure of one-year F1 contracts was too much
Valtteri Bottas has admitted that the constant pressure he faced from only having one-year contracts in Formula 1 had a more negative impact on him that he believed at the time.
motorsport.com - Nov 24, 2021
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/b...-much/6772793/
The Finn has just signed a multi-season deal to join Alfa Romeo from next year, giving him for the first time some proper long term job security.
And having endured throughout his Mercedes career the permanent need to prove himself each season to keep hold of his seat, he says the different scenario with Alfa Romeo has opened his eyes to what he was missing before.
“It probably had a bigger effect on me than I thought it would, because once everything was done, and I knew what I'm going to do for the next few years, I just felt a bit more like freedom and less pressure in a way,” he said ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
“It felt almost like a weight lifted off the shoulders. That's the feeling, and it's something I've never had before: that I know that actually I can focus on to something with a team, with the people around for a few years ahead, not just focusing for one year.
“Normally it's after like six months that I need to fight for my seat. So just being able to have that kind of trust from a team, that they know that I'm going to do the best I can for a few years, just feels good. And I can just really, really focus on the job and think about what I'm going to do next year.”
While Bottas says he understood the attraction for teams in keeping young drivers on their toes with pressure to perform to keep their seats, he says that after a while the situation can prove to be a negative force.
“Everyone is individual in how they cope with pressure, and which kind of pressure and which kind of length of the pressure,” he said.
“But for me, five years in that similar situation, of never being able to think further than six months, it doesn't work.
“It was definitely easier in the beginning, even though there were always discussions pretty much every year, like who's going to be in the seats, which is a distraction.
“Don't forget it was a pretty similar thing for me with Williams more or less: it was always options in the contract one year. Now it's been basically almost nine years of not being able to think long term and what was long term.”
When asked what he felt about Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s remarks that pressure is what makes diamonds, Bottas said: “I think I said to him: ‘yes for a certain amount of time it's good. It can be good. But for nine years?”

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

It would be interesting to know Russell's genuine opinion. This looks like sugar-coating by Russell with the (vain) hope to avoid payback by Verstappen in the foreseeable future.

To my eyes, the second collision with Russell, was a deliberate act out of frustration by Verstappen. But I concur that Russell underservedly got off the hook - he should have gotten a penalty too for forcing Verstappen off the track. The fact that Russell collided with Verstappen (first collision) because of a temporary loss of control of his car, matters for a penalty, regardless whether it was not intended to collide with Verstappen. Russell badly negotiated the turn, collided with a competitor (Verstappen), requiring the latter to take evasive action (off track).

"Russell 'surprised' Verstappen 'had taken responsibility' for Spain collision
F1 - 13 June 2025
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...UYy3sabNcwbEk1
George Russell admits he was "surprised" that Max Verstappen "had taken responsibility" for their clash in Spain via social media, and that they hadn't discussed the incident despite bumping into each other at the airport.

The Mercedes driver came to blows with Verstappen last time out in the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, having gone wheel-to-wheel at Turn 1 after a Safety Car restart with Verstappen running off the track at Turn 1.
Having rejoined ahead of Russell, the Dutchman was told by his Red Bull team to let the Briton through, eventually backing off on the exit of Turn 4 before accelerating and colliding with Russell through the following left-hand turn.
The reigning World Champion eventually conceded the position and finished fifth on the road, but a 10-second penalty for the collision dropped him to 10th, as he later posted on Instagram the following day that it was "a move that was not right and shouldn’t have happened".
Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Russell explained that he believed Verstappen was "just trying to get his elbows out and show who's boss" rather than it being a deliberate, premeditated act and insisted there were no issues between the pair.
"Obviously it would have been a different feeling had it taken me out of the race but ultimately I benefitted from it and he was penalised," said Russell.
"I was a bit surprised to see he had taken responsibility, so fine. But I haven't spoken to him about it. We actually bumped into each other at the airport the other day but I actually completely forgot we crashed into each other a few days prior. No issues."
As well as the time penalty, Verstappen was also handed three penalty points on his licence, which means he sits just a single point away from a one-race ban.
It means the Dutchman will need to make it through the Canadian and Austrian weekends without incident to avoid being left on the sidelines before two of those 11 points will be wiped after a 12-month period.
When asked whether it was right the reigning World Champion might be forced to miss a race, Russell pointed out the regulations were the same for everyone.
"I think that's how it should be in racing," he explained. "At the end of the day if you take on risky moves and you get it wrong you get penalised and, if you get your points, you'll be banned for a race.
"I'm not going to sit here and say X, Y, Z because it's ultimately not really my problem. It's his problem. I'm looking forward to the weekend and then go from there. That's racing."
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen was also asked about the incident and how being on the brink of a ban would change his approach this weekend.
"There’s nothing I can do about it so we just focus ahead and try to do the best we can every single time," he said. "It’s not changing my approach and I cannot speak for others.
“If you look at it in general, yeah, missing a race is not ideal but it’s not the end of the world.”"

Jacques Villeneuve's take:

"Villeneuve leaps to Max Verstappen’s defence in Russell ‘penalty’ call
PlanetF1 - 13 June 2025
https://www.planetf1.com/news/jacque...ot-intentional
Jacques Villeneuve is having none of the theory that Max Verstappen’s Spanish GP collision with George Russell was “intentional”.
Furthermore, amid the growing threat of a race ban for Verstappen, Villeneuve claimed Russell “deserved a penalty” for the prior banging of wheels at Turn 1 which saw Verstappen take to the run-off and return to the track still ahead of the Mercedes driver.
Max Verstappen v George Russell: FIA verdicts correct?
Verstappen received two whacks following the race restart in Barcelona as the Safety Car returned to the pits, first from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc down the main straight, and another from Russell into Turn 1, neither incident drawing punishment.
But, with Verstappen told to relinquish P4 to Russell having been sent into the run-off, contact followed at Turn 5, Verstappen seemingly allowing Russell through, only to get back on the power and hit the side of the Mercedes.
For that, the stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty and three Super Licence penalty points, taking his 12-month tally to 11. One more therefore picked up at the Canadian or Austrian GP would trigger a one-race ban.
1997 World Champion Villeneuve is convinced that Verstappen’s collision with Russell was “not intentional”, as he pointed the finger back at Russell for the earlier incident at Turn 1, a coming together which Villeneuve said should not have gone unpunished.
“He immediately wanted to regain the position, but completely messed it up, and people immediately shouted that he did it on purpose and that he wanted to crash Russell out,” Villeneuve continued, speaking to a gambling platform.
“The crazy thing is: Russell deserved a penalty. He hit Max on the rear wheel entering Turn 1.
“According to the rules, that leads to forcing a collision and pushing another driver off the track. So why didn’t he get a penalty for that?
“If there are rules, they should always apply to everyone. Russell deserved a penalty.
“Verstappen lost a lot of points because of that penalty; he only got 10th.
“He knows he doesn’t have the best car, then to still get results, he has to drive at the limit, or even over it, and at some point that leads to mistakes or misjudgements, and that makes his fight for the world title a lot harder.”"

JV comes to the rescue out of the FIA penalty mix up. It was indeed Russell that first started the chain reaction that caused MAX inadvertently to touch wheels with Russell, that was completely ignored as Jacques states and it all goes back to Sulayem who has increased his internal grip in that establishment.
* I am now convinced it was GP and possibly Horner also telling him to let Russell through that caused MAX's confusion leading to what happened, if GP had kept quiet and would just 'shut your cakehole' (quote from Titanic) then none of this would have escalated to what it is now.