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In the wake of a dramatic incident at the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has extended an apology to his Red Bull team following a collision with George Russell's Mercedes. The incident, which occurred during the final laps at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, resulted in Verstappen receiving a 10-second penalty and three penalty points.

Red Bull Formula 1 team principal, Christian Horner, revealed that Verstappen took responsibility in the post-race debrief for what transpired during an attempt to regain his position. Verstappen, who had been running third before a late deployment of the safety car, found himself in a tight battle after pitting for a set of hard tires, the only fresh option available to the Red Bull team.

Following the restart, Charles Leclerc swiftly overtook Verstappen. As Russell made a move at Turn 1, Verstappen defended his position but was instructed by his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, to yield. Although Verstappen initially contested the directive, he appeared to comply before the subsequent contact with Russell occurred.

On social media, Verstappen acknowledged that the collision "should not have happened," stopping short of a formal apology but hinting at regret. Horner, however, assured that Verstappen had taken full responsibility immediately after the race, describing the weekend as frustrating due to strategic setbacks.

Horner reflected on the race strategy, noting that their three-stop approach was advantageous until the safety car intervened. The timing of the safety car forced a difficult decision: continue on older tires or gamble on hard compounds. The resulting choices compounded the challenges, impacting not just Verstappen but also teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Despite the setback, Horner conveyed a determined outlook, emphasizing the team's plans to work on set-up improvements and aim for a strong performance in Montreal. The weekend may not have yielded the expected results, yet the commitment to improvement remains unwavering.