Mad Max Verstappen is on the brink of a suspension. He risks losing far more than just one race if he doesn't change

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Max Verstappen is without a doubt one of the most naturally gifted drivers to ever strap himself into a Formula 1 car.

But the incident with George Russell in the closing laps of the Spanish Grand Prix has left him on the cusp of a one-race ban.

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For a driver of his experience, having achieved what he has, a suspension would leave a red mist stain that wouldn't be removed with all the Napisan in the world.

Any driver who accrues 12 penalty points in a 12 month period cops a one-race ban. Verstappen now has 11. One more in the next two races – when the next two points drop off – and he'll spend a race weekend in the Red Bull hospitality suite.

After several seasons successfully locked in a kennel somewhere out the back of Red Bull's Milton Keynes base, Mad Max has well and truly broken free.

And for what? This season, Verstappen has constantly reminded everyone that while Oscar Piastri is the form driver of the field, he remains the best.

As McLaren run away with the constructors title, he's to-date been the only one who's looked remotely capable of challenging the McLaren pair for the driver's title.

He won in Japan off the back of one of the best qualifying laps of his career, and then won the race in a car that wasn't the quickest.

Then in Imola, he put on what could be the move of the year – around the outside of Oscar Piastri at the first (technically the second) corner – which earned him a second victory.

That he is still susceptible to these kind of meltdowns boggles the mind. In 2022 and 2023, he was unflappable as he reeled off race win after race win. Perhaps the sport was lulled into thinking a couple of world championships and a few extra laps of the sun had allowed him to mature and grow out of these sort of brain snaps.

Apparently not.

The incident with Russell in Barcelona was his fourth on-track collision in 12 months.

First, there was the one with Norris while fighting for the lead in Austria last year. That earned him two points.

He earned another two for his ridiculous dive bombs – again on Norris – in Mexico.

He copped a point for a Virtual Safety Car infringement in Brazil, and another for impeding Russell during qualifying in Qatar.

The latter sparked a feud between the pair that will have only been reignited by this latest incident.

Russell accused Verstappen of being a "bully", and claimed the Dutchman threatened to "put me on my f---ing head in the wall".

"I'm not going to sit here and accept it. People have been bullied by Max for years now and you can't question his driving abilities, but he can't deal with adversity," Russell said ahead of the season-ender in Abu Dhabi.

"Whenever anything is not going his way, he lashes out with unnecessary anger and borderline violence.

"... That is not a guy who I respect and I wish he would be a better role model."

Verstappen earner another two points for punting Piastri at the first corner in Abu Dhabi in December, and the final three from this incident in Barcelona.

Whether or not he deliberately crashed into Russell can be debated elsewhere.

But Russell's point about him throwing the toys out of the cot once he comes under the pump is once again validated.

Verstappen was right to be frustrated by the situation he found himself in. The timing of the safety car left his strategy compromised. With only a set of hard tyres left, his side of the garage had been backed into a corner. Whether or not they would've been better off leaving him on the older softs – which would have given him the lead given both McLarens pitted – is another point Red Bull will debate behind closed doors.

Then there was the move from Russell into the first corner after the restart. It was bold, but fair. Verstappen took to the run off and rejoined per the race director's instructions.

The team told him to give the position back to Russell, which infuriated him more. He protested, insisting he'd done nothing wrong. The collision came at turn five with under three laps to go.

For the record, Verstappen's argument was vindicated when the stewards confirmed they were not going to take action for that incident.

It was a rare blunder from a Red Bull pit wall who have time and time again put themselves in a position to win through cunning strategy calls.

But Verstappen's emotional outbursts never do him any good, and perhaps he needs to go and knock on the door of the McLaren motorhome and ask Oscar for his preferred brand of chill pills.

Until then, he should have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down.