Max Verstappen says it was "frustration" that led to his collision with George Russell, admitting it "was not right and shouldn't have happened".
Russell had appeared to nudge Verstappen off the track at Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, and though Verstappen recovered to stay fourth, he was advised to let the Mercedes pass as he struggled on his hard tyres.
The Dutchman looked to have slowed down to let Russell in, only to steer into the Brit, earning him a penalty that dropped him down to a 10th-place finish.
After the race, Russell said the move 바카라felt deliberate바카라, while Verstappen was defensive when asked if the move was intentional, saying, 바카라Does it matter?바카라
But on Monday, he released a statement on social media, explaining his side of the incident.
"We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out," Verstappen said on Instagram.
"Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened.
"I always give everything out there for the team, and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also revealed Verstappen had apologised for the incident.
"The Safety Car came out at the worst possible time for our strategy. We had the choice to stay out on older tyres or take the gamble with a new set of hard tyres," Horner said, also on social media.
"Hindsight is always 20/20, but we made the best decision at the time with the information we had. The result that followed was frustrating as it was looking to be an easy podium for Max and good championship points.
"Max apologised in the debrief for his incident with Russell. The SC also hurt Yuki [Tsunoda's] race; he would've been very close if not in the points otherwise, if you look at the trajectory he was on.
"But that's racing. It can turn in a split second. It is one of the reasons we are all so captivated and in love with this sport. It was a tough weekend, but we will be busy working hard over the next weeks to make some set-up improvements to the car and come back strong in Montreal."
Verstappen was given three penalty points on his super licence after the race, bringing his total to 11, one short of a ban, which he will receive if he is penalised in either Canada or Austria.
His drop down the grid also means he is now 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, who finished Sunday's race ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
