GEORGE RUSSEL said a ban for Max Verstappen would be justified after insisting his rival’s recent attempts to “scare” him backfired.

Verstappen is one point away from being forced to sit out a race following his collision with Russell at the last round in Spain where he accelerated into the British driver.

Verstappen issued a veiled apology for the coming together which relegated him from fifth to 10th and sees him head into this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix 49 points off the championship pace.

Speaking in Montreal, Mercedes’ Russell, who finished fourth in Barcelona, said: “If [Verstappen] gets to 12 points [a ban] wouldn’t be unjust.

“At the end of the day, that’s why the penalty points are there. If you keep driving recklessly you will accumulate points, and get punished with a race ban. You’ve got it in your own hands and it doesn’t go without risk.

“He was trying to run me off the road. I don’t think he was trying to intentionally crash into me. He wanted to just sort of scare me a bit, but he just misjudged it. Again, it wasn’t going to scare me, it was just all a bit surprising.

“I’m not looking for an apology. His actions cost him and they benefited me. So I should be almost thanking him. Obviously I’d be feeling very differently if it took me out of the race. But it is good to see that he took accountability. I was a bit surprised about that.”

The flashpoint marked another controversial chapter in Verstappen’s career following run-ins last year with Lando Norris and multiple clashes with Lewis Hamilton in their title duel four years ago.

But when asked if he believes a ban would change Verstappen’s aggressive approach, Russell continued: “I don’t think so.

“It depends on the circumstances, doesn’t it? When you are going for a championship, it’s slightly different. That’s why I believe he wasn’t intentionally trying to crash into me. He was just trying to get his elbows out and show who’s boss.

“But he got it wrong. Jos [Verstappen’s father] is the boss. I’m going to continue racing exactly the same way because at the end of the day that’s what I did last week and I benefited from it.”

In the moments after the race, Verstappen sarcastically offered Russell a tissue when he was informed of the Mercedes man’s criticism.

“That was quite funny to be fair and I did have a giggle about that,” continued Russell, who watched Carlos Alcaraz defeat Jannik Sinner in last Sunday’s French Open final at Roland Garros.

“We bumped into each other at the airport on Sunday morning when I was going to Roland Garros.

“To be honest, I totally forgot about Barcelona because he was there with his newborn, and we were at the security machine. He just had a quick chat and then he was busy folding the pram down to put it through the machine.”

Oscar Piastri won in Spain and holds a 10-point championship lead over McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.