Verstappen admits he lacked pace for win but defends Hamilton incident at Spanish GP

Max Verstappen claimed second place at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid on Sunday, finishing behind race winner Kimi Antonelli in what the four-time world champion acknowledged was the maximum result available to him given Red Bull’s pace deficit on the day.

It was Verstappen’s fifth podium finish in seven race weekends, yet the Dutchman was candid about the car’s limitations at the Madring circuit. “I didn’t have the pace of Kimi and I definitely did not have the pace of Lando,” Verstappen said in the post-race press conference, referencing McLaren’s Lando Norris, who lost a likely podium after missing a pit window under the Virtual Safety Car. “We’re here on the podium and I think that’s great, but we still lack a little bit to really fight for the win.”

The result was complicated by an opening-lap incident involving Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen was instructed by race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to surrender a position to the Ferrari driver, but with Antonelli between them at the time, complying effectively cost him two places. He voiced his frustration over team radio before ultimately relenting.

“What am I supposed to do? If they tell me that I have to do it, then I will do it,” Verstappen said. He also acknowledged the consequences of non-compliance would have been severe: “If I hadn’t done that, then I would have received a penalty. No chance.”

Despite handing the position back, Verstappen maintained he was not at fault for the original incident. He described Hamilton as losing control over the kerbs and bouncing back onto the racing line, leaving him with no safe option but to go off-track.

“Lewis went for a move on the first two [drivers] and bottomed out on the kerb. He just jumped back onto the track and that’s why I had to go off the road,” Verstappen explained. “If I would have stayed there, I would have definitely had contact. Then my race could potentially have been over in Turn 2, and that’s why I think I’m happy to be where we are now.”

The result leaves Verstappen sixth in the drivers’ championship standings, with the gap to the frontrunners underscoring Red Bull’s ongoing struggle to match the outright pace of Mercedes and McLaren this season.