Max Verstappen and George Russell ran into each other during the first lap of the 2023 Azerbaijan GP sprint race. Russell landed a daring overtake on the inside of the Red Bull driver in the first lap of the race. However, the two made contact, and the impact left a hole in Verstappen’s RB19 engine cover.
Although the Dutchman scrambled a P3 finish, he was unhappy with the Briton’s error which cost him a potential win. The two had a heated exchange after the race after Russell tried apologizing to the 2x champion.
George Russell down the inside on Max Verstappen! 💥 pic.twitter.com/XZ4Rt4X7JO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 29, 2023
The Mercedes driver reasoned his tires lacked grip, but Verstappen claimed that was the case with everyone on track. The exchange ended with Verstappen abusing the Mercedes driver as he left the race beaming with anger.
George Russell responds to Verstappen’s ‘Di*khead’ comment
Max Verstappen warned George Russell that he won’t hesitate to make such moves on the track and called the Briton a ‘Di*khead’. The Dutchman said in the post-race media presentation that Russell’s statements made no sense.
Russell responded to Verstappen’s comments saying he had all the right to make the move on track. Russell spoke to Sky Sports, saying, “I was on the inside. I think as a driver, you know the risks when you’re on the outside here.”
“I’m not going to hold back because he’s leading the championship”
George Russell explains his side of the incident between himself and Max Verstappen during the Sprint 👇 pic.twitter.com/zPoVIoNreD
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 29, 2023
The 25-year-old warned that he will not shy away from challenging Verstappen in the future despite his remarks. Russell asserted, “I’m here to fight, I’m here to win. I’m not going to hold back just because he’s leading the Championship.”
Russell claims had the roles been reversed, Verstappen would have done the same. Verstappen settled for P3 while his teammate Sergio Perez claimed the win in the year’s first sprint race.
Russell was surprised to see Verstappen’s reaction
Despite the move by George Russell looking reckless, he states he had no intention to make contact with Max Verstappen. The Briton claimed he wanted to have a fair fight with Verstappen.
Russell shared, “I was doing my best to have a clean fight, and as I said I was surprised he was resisting the position.” Yet, the Briton claims he was not expecting Verstappen to be furious. “I was surprised by why he was so angry, to be honest. He still finished the race in P3,” Russell added.
The Mercedes driver feels the 2x champion should have understood the consequences considering he was on the outside. Russell believes a driver like Verstappen, who has experience in such late-breaking moves could have reacted better on track.
Max and Russell after the race
R – “I had no grip”
M – “We all had no grip”
“Next time expect the same – D*ckhead” pic.twitter.com/k2CXfKYT1s
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) April 29, 2023
Russell continued, “He has enough experience and knows that if you are going to overtake a guy on the outside. There is a risk that the car on the inside will run wide into you. I don’t think anything would be different if the positions were reversed.”
He reasons the defending F1 champion had more to lose by staying so close to him in the corner. Russell also claimed that Verstappen could have rescinded his position and he would have still won it back in the following lap.
