Last Updated on June 18 2025, 10:26 am
Red Bull’s nerves are beginning to fray. Following Max Verstappen’s penalty in Barcelona for colliding with George Russell, the Dutchman now finds himself in a precarious position: He has accumulated 11 penalty points on his FIA licence, which is just one short of a mandatory one-race ban. This is an extraordinary situation for a four-time world champion, and with the title race hotting up, his rivals are starting to sense an opportunity.
Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, has already expressed concerns that other drivers may try to provoke Verstappen into making a mistake. With the stakes higher than they have been for years, Formula 1 is suddenly flirting with a new kind of mind game — one that plays out not just on the stopwatch, but in the margins of the rulebook.
A dangerous threshold
The penalty in Spain, handed down after Verstappen collided with Russell during a tense moment in the Grand Prix, has brought the reigning champion to the brink. With 12 penalty points within a 12-month period triggering an automatic suspension, Verstappen now has no margin for error.
His competitors are well aware of this. Russell, who was on the receiving end of Verstappen’s mistake in Barcelona, did not shy away from the implications when speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
“If he gets to 12 points, it wouldn’t be unfair,” he said. ‘That’s literally why those regulations are there. The penalty in Spain was fair, but if it had taken me out of the race, it would have been a different matter.”
This wasn’t just a reflection on past events; it was also a veiled warning about what might lie ahead. In this finely poised championship, the psychological warfare is every bit as intense as the race to develop the cars.
Rivals sense an opportunity
Russell was blunt in outlining his intentions: “We have to be smart and use it to our advantage.”
This was a clear indication that Mercedes, and potentially others, are preparing to exploit Verstappen’s vulnerable position.
The Briton hinted that even subtle choices in racecraft could be used to push Verstappen closer to the brink.
“I’m going to keep racing exactly as I was before,” said Russell.
“In the end, that’s what I did last week, and it worked for me. If you keep going like that, the other guy accumulates points and eventually gets punished. He got punished. So, from my perspective, I hope it continues a bit longer — it makes things more exciting for neutral observers too.”
The most obvious example of such tactics came in Canada. Under the safety car, Russell slowed down dramatically in front of Verstappen, prompting an angry response from the Dutchman.
“George just braked aggressively,” Verstappen snapped over the team radio. Moments later, Russell was speaking to his own pit wall: “Verstappen just overtook me behind the safety car.”
Neither move was accidental. At Red Bull, they knew the games had begun.
Horner stepped in to warn the FIA
Christian Horner wasn’t going to take it lightly. The Red Bull team boss revealed that he had already raised concerns with the race director, Niels Wittich, in the hours leading up to the Canadian Grand Prix, having anticipated precisely the sort of tactics that Russell appeared to be employing.
“It was inevitable that there would be potential tactics,” Horner told Motorsport.com.
“It’s something we discussed with the race director after the drivers’ briefing, so they were also aware of it. Obviously, there had been some comments in the media, so we just said, ‘Look, please keep an eye on this.’”
The issue lies in the fine print of the sporting regulations. Drivers are permitted to vary their pace under the safety car to manage their tyres and brakes — but the line between legal manoeuvring and strategic provocation is a thin one. With Verstappen under the microscope, even a minor infringement could have catastrophic consequences.
Despite the surrounding noise, Horner stood firm in his belief that Verstappen had done nothing wrong in Montreal.
“He was faultless all weekend,” Horner insisted. “He drove a very good race.”
However, the underlying message was clear: Red Bull are now on red alert. The team knows that, from now on, every on-track battle will have not just sporting consequences, but also regulatory risks.
The championship narrative is shifting
Verstappen has faced more pressure this season than in years. McLaren and Mercedes are resurgent, Ferrari is unpredictable yet fast, and internal unrest at Red Bull, both political and technical, has left the formerly dominant team far from invincible.
Now, this penalty point saga threatens to add another layer of instability. Verstappen’s aggressive driving style, which is usually one of his greatest strengths, must now be curtailed precisely when the title fight demands maximum commitment.
Ironically, it was the FIA’s attempt to encourage cleaner racing that has opened the door to a new kind of dirty fight. When the governing body introduced the penalty points system in 2014, it was intended to deter reckless driving. But in 2025, it’s being used as a strategic weapon.
It’s a calculated risk
It’s not just about on-track scuffles anymore. With Verstappen’s penalty points total so high, drivers like Russell, or even more tactically minded veterans like Fernando Alonso, could potentially provoke the Red Bull driver into retaliating, even subtly. One misjudged defensive move, one impatient overtake or one frustrated radio call that leads to an error could see Verstappen benched for a Grand Prix.
The psychological strain of this is considerable. Verstappen will now carry this constant burden into every race weekend until enough points expire to ease the pressure. That may not happen for several more rounds. In the meantime, Red Bull must balance performance, strategy and damage limitation in a way they haven’t needed to since Verstappen’s pre-championship years.
The stakes are high and the tension is even higher
We’re witnessing a championship being fought on every front: on the track, in the press room, behind closed doors with race stewards and even under the safety car. And for Red Bull, the stakes have never been higher. If Verstappen makes another mistake, he could miss a race and lose momentum, which could give a rival who’s ready to pounce the upper hand.
Christian Horner knows it. The other team bosses know it, too. And George Russell certainly knows it.
In Formula 1, margins are everything. For Max Verstappen, that margin is now just one point — and his rivals are already racing to exploit it.
FIA stewards bend the rules in Canada
MORE F1 NEWS – Toto Wolff SLAMS “petty” Red Bull Racing
Wolff slams Red Bull for ‘petty’ protest over Russell’s Montreal win – Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff launched a scathing attack on Red Bull Racing after the Milton Keynes-based team filed, and then partially retracted, a double protest against George Russell’s victory in the Canadian Grand Prix. Wolff labelled the move “embarrassing” and “insignificant”, accusing Red Bull of grasping at straws in what he portrayed as a bitter response to Mercedes’ first win of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The drama unfolded after a thrilling and chaotic race in Montreal, where Russell fended off both McLarens and the advancing Max Verstappen to cross the finish line first. However, celebrations were briefly put on hold when Red Bull filed two protests relating to Russell’s actions during a safety car period. One was quickly withdrawn, while the other was summarily dismissed by the FIA stewards…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
How does GR – or anyone else – believe it is ‘OK’ or ‘sportsmanlike’ to comment as he has done? He’s a top grade slime! It’s despicable. He’s also somehow managed to avoid penalties himself in the last two races … HOW? WHY?
Hopefully race Stewards are keeping a very close eye on HIM.