Max Verstappen and George Russell have not forgotten what happened between them back in Azerbaijan. But as the duo was on the podium in Spain on Sunday, no love was lost between them.
Admittedly, the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint saw a heated battle between the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers. Russell and Verstappen were jockeying for positions, so they touched, going into the corner at Baku.
Following the contact, there was a bitter altercation at the end of the race. Even though it’s long last now, the duo didn’t forget the incident, and the recent banter between the drivers is an example of that.
Verstappen and Russell recall the Baku incident
Notably, Verstappen and Russell were on the Barcelona podium on Sunday. While the two-time world champion won the Spanish GP, Russell came from the midfield to finish P3.
Now, with the recent Spanish GP aftermath, the duo recalled and bantered on the infamous Baku altercation. As per a post on Twitter, the duo looked at the Barcelona race start and began their banters.
George Russell & Max Verstappen share banters from their Azerbaijan GP clash in Spain:
Russell: “It’s the race where I move.”
Verstappen: “Are you ready to go right?”Cheeky. pic.twitter.com/JVcXArbDTK
— Sabyasachi Biswas (@Sabyasaachii) June 4, 2023
The Dutch driver began the conversation with his usual cool-down room, Maxplaining. As he was about to end, Russell quipped, “It’s the race where I move.”
Following this, the two-time world champion jokes back, “Are you ready to go right?” Verstappen is believed to have said this concerning how Russell moved a bit right and left Verstappen with no space to punch a hole in the sidepod.
What happened in the 2023 Azerbaijan GP with Verstappen and Russell?
The contact between the two cars punched a hole into the sidepod of the RB-19, and the Dutchman was nothing but furious about it. It’s believed that the bodywork loss hampered lap times for the Red Bull driver.
As a result, this propelled the two-time world champion into aggressive mode against the British driver. As the Sprint race concluded, Verstappen went to ask Russell about it, and they shared words on “grip” and “space.”
Following this, the two have shared a war of words in front of the media, with the defending champion calling the Briton a “di*khead.” While Russell didn’t sit back quietly but responded ferociously.
The 25-year-old said he was there to fight and wouldn’t move an inch to make way for Max Verstappen in a Red Bull. The Dutchman reverted back, calling the Mercedes driver a “Princess.”
