Max Verstappen dealt crushing championship blow as star feels effect of Spanish Grand Prix penalty

Max Verstappen's penalty at the Spanish Grand Prix has dealt a major blow to the Red Bull star in the Formula 1 constructors' championship.

The four-time world champion was given a 10-second time penalty for intentionally slamming into rival George Russell, and was demoted down to P10 after the race picking up just one point.

READ MORE: F1 Results Today: Max Verstappen ruins title hopes with PETULANT late race actions

While that has not affected Verstappen's position in the drivers' championship - he remains in third albeit now 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri - his actions have heavily affected Red Bull's hopes in the constructors' championship.

The team are now sat down in fourth, having been third at the start of the weekend. Verstappen only picked up one point, while his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th in Spain after a disastrous weekend.

It means that Red Bull are now 218 points behind leaders McLaren in the constructors' championship, and rivals Mercedes and Ferrari have both jumped ahead of the Milton Keynes-based outfit in the last two weeks.

Elsewhere, Piastri extended his lead over team-mate Lando Norris at the top of the drivers' championship to 10 points with a fifth win of the season, while Nico Hulkenberg's stunning fifth-place finish has lifted Sauber up to eighth in the constructors' standings.

Here are the full standings after nine rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 world championship.

F1 drivers' standings after 2025 Spanish Grand Prix

1. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 186 points
2. Lando Norris | McLaren | 176
3. Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 137
4. George Russell | Mercedes | 111
5. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 94
6. Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 71
7. Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 48
8. Alex Albon | Williams | 42
9. Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 21
10. Esteban Ocon | Haas | 20
11. Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 16
12. Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 14
13. Carlos Sainz | Williams | 12
14. Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 11
15. Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 10
16. Oliver Bearman | Haas | 6
17. Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 4
18. Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 2
19. Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 0
20. Jack Doohan | Alpine | 0
21. Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 0

F1 constructors' standings after 2025 Spanish Grand Prix

1. McLaren | 362 points
2. Ferrari | 165
3. Mercedes | 159
4. Red Bull | 144
5. Williams | 54
6. Racing Bulls | 28
7. Haas | 26
8. Sauber | 16
9. Aston Martin | 16
10. Alpine | 11

2025 rule change removes fastest lap point

The fastest lap point has been removed for the 2025 season. Since 2019, drivers have picked up an extra point if they finish in the top 10 and achieve the fastest lap.

However, in the past, this led to some drivers abandoning their races to pit and fit a new set of tyres in the final stages of the race in order to claim the fastest lap point or prevent a rival from getting the extra point, playing the tactical long game in the championship standings.

The most famous example of this last season came during Daniel Ricciardo's final F1 race, when the Australian finished last but claimed the fastest lap on the final lap of the Singapore GP, taking the extra point away from Norris and helping Verstappen's 2024 title bid.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen hit with huge F1 penalty after ridiculous crash

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