“Asking for Trouble”: Max Verstappen Left Himself Vulnerable Against George Russell; Claims F1 Expert

Tanish Chachra | 30/04/2023
"Asking for Trouble": Max Verstappen Left Himself Vulnerable Against George Russell; Claims F1 Expert

Max Verstappen and George Russell were in a skirmish on Saturday’s first lap of the sprint race. After the event, Max Verstappen even went to argue with the Brit. But F1 expert Scott Mitchell-Malm from Race also accused the Dutchman of asking for trouble.

Malm claims that Verstappen left himself vulnerable against Russell. The article’s writer noted that the Dutchman tried to hold on to all the outside of the first three corners.

“Verstappen didn’t need to leave himself that vulnerable. Trying to hold on around the outside of any of the first three corners at this track – and many others, really – is asking for trouble. At the very least, it’s asking for a lot of cooperation from the car on the inside,” wrote Malm on Race.

George Russell was pinned more tightly

Malm argues that the impact between the two drivers was equally to be blamed. While Russell missed the apex slightly and slid his front a little wide and over there, his frustration is justified.

However, Malm even argues that Verstappen could have given his rival more space, as Russell was pinned tightly. In this position, the Briton had no obligation to back out or take a risk.

But Verstappen didn’t yield his position. Ultimately, he took damage, slowed down his pace, and gave his team a repairing task. And it didn’t even grant Russell a penalty, as it was just a racing incident in the eyes of stewards.

Max Verstappen did it for little reward

Verstappen is set to start the main race from the front row, right beside the pole-position winner Charles Leclerc. And with the car he possesses, he can overtake any car on the grid at any time.

But it didn’t make him consider not going head to head against Russell, and he fully went into the battle. The collision cost him a hole in his sidepod, and reduced his speed by eight-tenths of a second.

So, in the end, the biggest mistake actually happened by Verstappen, as per Malm. But in the end, he managed to clinch a respectable finish with P3 and would be eyeing to be more cautious during the race.

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
George Russell Max Verstappen Mercedes Red Bull

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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