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Max Verstappen Slams ‘Stupid’ George Russell for Showing Attitude and Not Accepting Blame for the Collision

Vidit Dhawan
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Max Verstappen Slams 'Stupid' George Russell for Showing Attitude and Not Accepting Blame for the Collision

Max Verstappen has elaborated on the heated altercation he had with George Russell after the two made contact during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race. The Dutchman defended his earlier stance by continuing to blame the Briton for the collision.

While speaking to Sky Sports F1 about the incident, Verstappen said, “I thought I was fair in turn two. I gave him enough space. I think he locked up. He tells me ‘I had cold tires’. Well, we all have cold tires, that’s not an excuse. I don’t like it when somebody has that kind of reaction: ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’ and just walks off. It’s what it is”.

Verstappen’s criticism of Russell was far from over as in another interview with CANAL+ he went even further in criticizing the Briton. When the interviewer told Verstappen that Russell felt he was coming to congratulate him for the fight in parc ferme, the Dutchman replied, “If you think like that, you are really stupid”.

Verstappen beats Russell to third in Azerbaijan GP sprint race

The battle with George Russell on lap 1 made little difference to Max Verstappen’s race as he ended up passing the Briton to reclaim third in the Azerbaijan GP. Red Bull has produced an extremely strong car this season and the Dutchman showed its potential by passing Russell with ease.

While Verstappen did get the place back from Russell, he did have significant damage to his car. As a result of this, it is possible that he could not fight Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second place as hard as he would have liked after passing the Briton. Verstappen came in close proximity to Leclerc but not close enough to try a move.

Max Verstappen and George Russell have had contrasting starts to the 2023 season

When it comes to the F1 2023 season, Max Verstappen and George Russell find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, Verstappen seems in the form of his life as he has currently scored 75 points and leads the world championship by 13 points from his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

On the other hand, Russell has just scored 23 points. The Briton is not only a whopping 52 points behind championship leader Verstappen but also 17 points behind his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Both Verstappen and Russell will now hope to put their heated altercation with each other behind them and focus on Sunday’s main race. The race will begin at 4:30 PM IST (7:00 AM ET) on Sunday, April 30.

About the author

Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan

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Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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