Max Verstappen hit with huge F1 penalty after ridiculous crash

The FIA have announced a severe penalty for Max Verstappen after the chequered flag fell at the Spanish Grand Prix.

That penalty knocked Verstappen down from fifth to tenth in the final standings, a direct result of him appearing to deliberately run into the side of George Russell's car out of frustration.

Heading down the main straight, both Charles Leclerc and Russell looked to be getting past Verstappen after he had suffered a snap of oversteer, but he and Russell touched.

They then collided once again when Verstappen was told by Red Bull to let Russell past him, and then sped up once more and appeared to purposefully touch wheels with the Mercedes star.

In the immediate aftermath of the race finish, Verstappen was slammed with a 10-second time penalty by FIA race stewards, demoting him all the way down to 10th in the Spanish GP.

READ MORE: F1 Qualifying Results: Norris thrashed at Spanish Grand Prix as Verstappen trails again

Rosberg: Verstappen penalty was very lenient

Four-time champion Verstappen's late demotion led to a plethora of changes to the race result, with Nico Hulkenberg picking up a stunning 10-point haul for Sauber with a fifth-place finish.

It also means that Verstappen has lost out massively in his drivers' championship battle, with Oscar Piastri winning the race and the other championship protagonist Lando Norris coming home in second.

Verstappen is now 49 points behind Piastri in the drivers' championship, as hopes of a fifth consecutive title begin to fade.

Live on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, Nico Rosberg claimed that Verstappen should have been more heavily punished for his collision with Russell.

"That's a very lenient one from my point of view," he said following the announcement of Verstappen's 10-second penalty. "Remember Sebastian Vettel against Lewis Hamilton in Baku 2017."

READ MORE: Monaco Grand Prix winner Lando Norris offers verdict on future Indy 500 attempt

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