WATCH: Verstappen collides with Russell in astounding moment during Spanish GP

Max Verstappen was heavily penalised following a dramatic collision with George Russell on the penultimate lap of the Spanish Grand Prix after he was ordered to allow the Mercedes driver to pass him on the track.

The Dutchman was on course for a podium finish for the majority of the race before a late Safety Car was called to recover the second Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, neutralising the field. Red Bull elected to pit Verstappen for fresh tyres, but their only remaining option was a set of hards, which was the least used compound across the weekend.

READ MORE: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 from Norris in Spanish GP amid late-race drama for Verstappen and Russell

At the restart, he had an extremely nervy moment that only just saw him remain on the circuit, which allowed Charles Leclerc to overtake him for third place, albeit making contact during the move.

Russell then tried to make the most of the chaos and take another position from Verstappen, with the latter going wide and taking to the escape road. When he returned, still ahead of the Briton, he was instructed to let the Mercedes through in order to avoid a penalty for keeping the place.

Amid a flurry of furious radio messages, he appeared to back off at Turn 5 and follow the order by letting Russell drive around the outside, but soon ended up alongside before the two collided.

Click go on the video player above to watch the incident, which earned Verstappen a 10-second time penalty and dropped him back to P10 at the chequered flag.