George Russell hits out at Max Verstappen after 'deliberate' attempt to cause collision during Spanish Grand Prix

Mercedes Formula One driver George Russell has hit out at rival Max Verstappen following their controversial crash at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix.

In the final laps of what was otherwise a relatively drama-free Spanish Grand Prix, reigning F1 champion Verstappen appeared to intentionally crash into Russell despite being told to let him past.

The controversial moment led to the Dutchman being handed a massive 10 second penalty, causing him to drop from third all the way down the 10th, significantly hurting the chances of defending his title.

Speaking post-race, Verstappen refused to clarify if the crash was intentional or not as he made it clear that he did not want to talk about the incident.

However, Russell was happy to speak about what had happened on track, and give his opinion on why Verstappen acted how he did, claiming that it is holding him back.

Max Verstappen was spotted furiously leaving the paddock after the Spanish Grand Prix. (Image: Getty)

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, the British driver said: "I was as surprised as you guys probably were, I've seen those sort of moves before on simulator games or in go-karts but never in Formula One.

"Ultimately, we came home with P4 and he came home in P10 so I don't really know what was going through his mind. It felt deliberate in the moment. It was a bit surprising.

Last season, both Verstappen and Russell were involved in a heated rivalry that saw their tempers flare both on and off the race track.

But when asked to give his opinion on Verstappen's 10-second penalty, Russell appeared to make it clear that the past was behind them, as he heaped praise on his former rival despite his actions in Sunday's race.

"It's not really my place to say to be honest, right now I'm not going to give it any thought," Russell replied when asked about the penalty.

The penalty saw Verstappen finish the race in 10th, while Russell claimed P4. (Image: Getty)

"Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him. It's a shame something like that continues to occur, it's totally unnecessary and it never seems to benefit himself," he added.

"In Austin last year, some of the best moves ever and you go to Mexico and he lets himself down a bit. Go to Imola, one of the best moves we've all seen in a long time then this happens. It's cost him and his team a lot of points.

"Charles and I actually dropped off like a stone in those last few laps, he probably could have came back to fight for a podium."

When asked to respond to Russell's comments about children looking up to him, Verstappen brutally hit back at his rival, saying: "Okay, I'll bring some tissues next time then."