'FIA must ban Verstappen – now' – Going Up, Going Down in Spain

There are few things which makes Max Verstappen’s blood boil more.

Wrestling an inferior car, before getting shuffled back into the pack on granite-like hard tyres while all around you are better placed for a safety car restart.

Then, as if things just couldn’t get any worse, you’ve got Formula Partridge in your mirrors.

Verstappen’s final act of his little tête-à-tête with George Russell was to simply, and quite deliberately, smash into him.

You could say it was astounding, but then it’s Verstappen.

The only thing limper than the Red Bull driver’s semi-apologetic social media post (though certainly not addressed to F1’s Head Boy Russell) was the FIA’s response: a 10sec time penalty and three points on his licence.

Forget about setting an example to young, up-and-coming drivers, Verstappen’s never done that. What kind of example does it set to the rest of the F1 field?

You can essentially do as you like now. If you need to clinch an extra point or two towards the end of the season to get yourself in the top five of the championship, or get your team in top half of the constructors’ table, then why not? It’s worth a few big ones on your licence.

Best drivers in the world, eh…

Going Down – Bad Manners

Who’s worse, Verstappen or the FIA for being so meek?

Hard to tell, but at least you can give the Dutchman credit for deliberately lining up his wheels with Russell in their smash – real skill there.

Sit misery guts Verstappen out for one race, and let Isack Hadjar have a go.

Going Up – Rising Hadjar

On that subject, young Isack put in another race where the points payback matched his speed by finishing seventh.

Yuki Tsunoda must be getting worried.

It also means Racing Bulls has now overtaken Haas for sixth in the constructors’ title race i.e. best of the ‘slow’ cars.

Going Down – Ferrari dream already over for Lewis?

Things appeared bright in Barcelona for Hamilton, starting fifth on a track where he has previously dominated.

It all fell apart in the race though, the Brit then looking like a TVR Tuscan Challenge amateur who’d won a competition to race with the rest of the F1 grid.

It was all topped off by suffering the indignity of being overtaken by a Sauber at the end.

Going Up – Hinwil

And that Sauber was Nico Hülkenberg, whose fifth-place was its best finish since Valtteri Bottas did the same at Imola three years ago.

Gabriel Bortoleto looked competitive too. Some light at the end of the tunnel for Sauber-Audi – it now has more points than Alpine and Aston!

Going Down – Super Brat

Some classic PR squirming emerged from Aston after Lance Stroll pulled out of the Spanish GP after qualifying through injury.

The official line was that it was related to his 2023 surgery, but rumours spread that the Canadian smashed the garage up after being out-qualified by old-man Alonso for the 21st time in a row, managing to bust his hand in the process.

Poor Lance! He also now has the most Q1 exits in F1 history. Just give Felipe Drugovich a go, for the love of Silverstone.

Going Up – Nico Unfiltered

Whether you agreed with him or not, Sky Sports F1 pundit Nico Rosberg actually had an opinion in Barcelona – rare for a talking head these days.

He went full vintage Martin Brundle by declaring Arsenal starlet Bakayo Saka “not very nice” (ooft) for not wanting to speak to the cameras, as well as laying into Verstappen for his transgression.

There was also something funny about seeing the entire England football squad standing around on the grid, looking like spare guests at a wedding.

Going Up – Tyred out

Pirelli has been going more extreme in its compound offerings in a bid to spice up the racing, and it appears to be working.

Verstappen was on a fairly-out-there three-stop strategy until things fell apart later in the race.

We don’t want one-stops. More of this please Pirelli.

Going Up – Veteran Racer

“Unluckiest driver in the world” Fernando Alonso finally scored a couple of points in Catalunya, doing so with some brilliant overtake manoeuvres. Life in him yet.