Ralf Schumacher has bizarrely accused Max Verstappen of purposely sabotaging his own races to force a way out of Red Bull at the end of the season. The ex-Formula 1 driver made the baseless comments after Verstappen's explosive antics during Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, which demoted him to third in the Drivers' Championship.

After being told to hand P4 back to George Russell, having just also been overtaken by Charles Leclerc, the world champion lost his head in an angry response on the team radio. As his Mercedes rival attempted to pass, Verstappen suddenly swerved into him before eventually surrendering his position.

The Dutchman received a 10-second penalty for his dangerous driving, which plummetted him down to P10 from P5. He later accepted it "should not have happened".

Verstappen is now third in the drivers' standings with 137 points, 39 behind Lando Norris and trailing his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 49.

Russell profited from the wild incident, moving just 26 points behind the 27-year-old ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

And Schumacher has incredibly suggested that Verstappen is purposely vying for the Brit to leapfrog him in the standings so he can escape Red Bull.

The four-time world champion reportedly has several exit clauses in his Red Bull contract, which expires in 2028.

One of them is said to allow him to depart if he is not among the top three drivers at a certain point in the season, although it's unknown at what stage of the campaign that takes effect.

Alluding to that specific clause after the drama at the Circuit de Barcelona, Schumacher said on Sky Germany: "One has to pay attention now – if such a clause exists – why such things suddenly happen?

"And why do you incur a penalty that is so unnecessary? It could also be that once you've made the decision for yourself, you no longer want to ensure that it remains that way."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has understandably shot down those suggestions, reportedly shaking his head as he spoke to BILD.

"This theory is utter nonsense. I haven't heard anything so stupid in a long time," Horner reacted.

"Max is a racer through and through. He always wants to win and would never act like that."

It's claimed that Schumacher's comments on Verstappen aren't the first of his to rile Red Bull, and a discussion took place in Japan earlier this year.

Verstappen no longer has the fastest car on the grid; that honour belongs to McLaren. However, it goes without saying that Schumacher's accusation can be dismissed.