F1 fans DUMBSTRUCK over Max Verstappen award at Spanish Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans were left dumbstruck on social media after Max Verstappen was handed the Driver of the Day award at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The four-time F1 champion ended the day in 10th having started up in third, following a penalty that was handed to him in the immediate aftermath of the race for appearing to intentionally crash into Mercedes' George Russell.

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Verstappen's frustrations got the better of him, and he even used his tense post-race interview with Sky F1 to question whether it even mattered if his widely criticised move on Russell was intentional or not.

The demotion left him down in 10th ruing a missed opportunity for another podium, and he now trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 49 points in the drivers' championship.

However, there was some consolation for the 27-year-old.

Verstappen was handed the Driver of the Day award at the Spanish GP, an accolade which is voted for by fans and given to the driver who impressed their audience at home the most.

Voting closes for that particular award just before the end of the race, meaning it could have closed before Verstappen's move on Russell, but it was not a good look for F1, and fans on X were quick to criticise the decision.

"What a fantastic lesson to young drivers," one user said. "Get annoyed on track? Just drive into a competitor. This was a great opportunity for F1 to say they were suspending driver of the day due to unsportsmanlike behaviour but nah. Course not."

Another user said: "Lol. This is the worst voting ever," while another pointed to Nico Rosberg's comment that Verstappen should have been disqualified from the race: "Driver of the Day for a guy who should have been black flagged."

However, some fans suggested the entertainment factor caused by Verstappen's move alone justified the award, with one social media saying: "The fans were clearly entertained - by his opening lap move on Lando Norris, the attempted 3-stopper, and then of course, him deliberately ramming into George Russell."

Another simply said: "Deserved! He was by far the most entertaining!"

Verstappen's dismal day in Barcelona

The reigning champion drew plenty of criticism from the likes of Russell, Lando Norris and Rosberg post-race for his moment of madness, but ultimately Verstappen will know he has caused himself the most damage.

The Dutchman's brilliance over the first few weeks of the season had given him an outside chance of challenging for a record-equalling fifth consecutive world championship, but this result may have banished any thought of that for now unless Red Bull produce some answers over the RB21's driveability.

On top of his 10-second penalty, race stewards also slammed Verstappen with three penalty points on his super licence, taking him up to 11 for the last 12-month period.

Picking up 12 in 12 months equals a one-race ban, meaning Verstappen has to avoid picking up any more penalty points in his next two races, otherwise he will be banned by the FIA for one championship race.

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