Dutch media call out 'sore loser' Verstappen after his Spanish Grand Prix disaster

The Dutchman's frustration towards the end of the Spanish Grand Prix left a bad taste in many people's mouths, with his swerve into Russell resulting in a ten-second time penalty that dropped him down the order to P10.

The international media were already critical of the 27-year-old for his conduct, with the British media also having things to say about the final few laps. Now, it's the turn of the Dutch media, with them no longer protecting the actions of the Red Bull Racing driver.

According to NOS, it was a surprise that Verstappen hit George Russell while his team had asked him to give back the position: "Verstappen's action came somewhat out of the blue. It seemed like a sum due to incidents earlier in the race. Or was the frustration with the Limburger a bit deeper? This season, the McLarens are superior, and the continuation of the world title seems a hopeless mission. Verstappen emphasised in recent days that he was not focused on the title."

The broadcast clearly did not agree with the actions of the Dutchman: "This attitude does not suit Verstappen. With an iron fist, he dictated Formula 1 in recent years. Would this driver be content with second or third place? During the race, the old fighting spirit emerged again, although the elbow towards Russell seemed more the mentality of a sore loser."

De Telegraaf first had their say on how Verstappen was thrown into the deep end by his team, Red Bull Racing, they believed: "On a (much) harder tyre, Verstappen was immediately attacked after the restart. Leclerc passed him on the straight, but also came into contact with the Dutchman. Russell then also hit Verstappen in turn 1, but Verstappen held fourth place after stepping off the track."

The medium believes that Verstappen deliberately hit Russell: "A furious Verstappen was then ordered by Lambiase to give back that fourth place to Russell, because 'those are the rules.' Verstappen then deliberately hit Russell, subsequently giving back the fourth place. Due to a time penalty, the Dutchman eventually finished tenth."

The Algemeen Dagblad also has some things to say about the way Red Bull operated during the safety car window and the laps afterwards.

The medium saw Verstappen initially have a moment at the restart: "Leclerc was past. But George Russell had to be let go because of that near miss, as he stayed ahead of the Brit via the runoff area. 'Those are the rules, Max,' he was told.