F1 World Champion Sides With Max Verstappen Over George Russell Collision in Azerbaijan GP: “A Bit Too Much”

Sabyasachi Biswas | 04/05/2023
F1 World Champion Sides With Max Verstappen Over George Russell Collision in Azerbaijan GP: “A Bit Too Much”

The collision between Max Verstappen and George Russell in the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been the most popular talking point recently. As per the latest development, Damon Hill has sided with the Red Bull driver for standing his ground in Lap 2 of the Sprint.

Speaking about this in F1 Nation Podcast, Hill said, “When you go into the sidepod of someone, you damage their aero and potentially get them out of the race, then that it probably a bit too much.”

Having said he would like to see less contact, the 1996 F1 world champion also asserted that such moves shouldn’t be encouraged even if there’s an ask to make the sport more exciting.

The contact of RB-19 with that of W-14 punched a hole in the Red Bull’s sidepod. This resulted in a significant loss of time and in the end, the Dutchman lost around seven-tenths per lap.

Hill explained Verstappen’s “princess” claim on Russell

As per reports, the two-time world champion has called the young Mercedes driver a “princess” in front of Dutch media. While this has been a rather interesting take for the fans, a part of them certainly didn’t like this from the part of the Dutchman.

Referring to this, Hill said that the drivers such as Verstappen and Russell are young. They are just 25 years old and they all belong to the same generation, so they “make it known that they are not to be messed with.”

He further stated that the drivers fought in these sorts of competitions such as F3, F2, or F1 all their lives, and they “can’t be the weak link, and hence they punch their chest out from time to time”, the British former F1 driver revealed.

Verstappen vs Russell’s Baku Saga

The start of saga began when Verstappen decided to confront Russell at the end of the race. The Dutchman’s feisty move was believed to have come after the Mercedes driver tangled with him right after the start of the sprint.

As the 25-year-old came to confront the Silver Arrows driver, the duo had a verbal brawl about not having space. This was followed by the defending champion calling Russell a “d*ckhead“.

Speaking to the media after the spat, the 25-year-old shared that Verstappen let himself down with his antics after the race. All in all, it was an intense off-track battle between the two talented and fierce drivers.

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Damon Hill George Russell Max Verstappen

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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