Mercedes F1 star George Russell has suggested that Max Verstappen’s sim racing habits were to blame for the pair’s collision at the Spanish Grand Prix.

After making slight contact late in the race following a safety car restart, it appeared as if Verstappen deliberately drove into Russell moments later after being told to give the place back by Red Bull on team radio.

It was a shocking moment that saw the race end in fireworks for what had otherwise been a rather underwhelming affair.

Speaking after the race, Russell insisted that the move had no place in Formula 1.

Russell: Verstappen move was sim racing

“I was as surprised as you guys were. I’ve seen those sort of manoeuvres before on simulator games and go-karting but never in F1,” Russell said.

“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.”

Nico Rosberg called for Verstappen to be given a black flag, and therefore disqualified, during commentary for Sky Sports – but Russell would not be drawn to comment.

“It’s not my place to say,” he added. “Right now, I’m not going to give it any thought because we have our own problems to deal with.

“We are trying to make our car go faster. The safety car at the end shuffled things up. It’s down to the stewards to decide if it was deliberate or not.

“Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him. It’s just a shame something like that continues to occur. It seems totally unnecessary and never seems to benefit himself.”