Ahead of the Miami GP this weekend, Sergio Perez did not want to miss out on an opportunity to remind everyone of how Max Verstappen reacted to his clash with George Russell after the race in Baku.
During a podcast session posted on the YouTube channel, Pardon My Take, Perez was asked if he talks to drivers after the immediate aftermath of any incident which involves both of them. To this, the Mexican driver simply took his Red Bull teammate Verstappen as an example.
He brought up the end of the F1 Sprint last Saturday in Baku, where Verstappen stormed towards Russell to lash out at him, right after the race got over. They exchanged strong words, with Verstappen even calling the Mercedes star a “d**khead”.
“You didn’t see the last sprint race? You should watch it,” said Perez.
What happened between Max Verstappen and George Russell?
Last weekend in Baku saw the first F1 Sprint of the year take place. Verstappen started the race from P3, but after a shut made by Russell from the outside on turn one, he lost a place. Of course, Verstappen drives what is arguably the fastest car in F1 today, but he sustained damage on the sidepod of his RB19.
After a brief halt due to a red flag, Verstappen restarted the race by taking back the third place. However, the damage to his car meant that he couldn’t push and catch Charles Leclerc ahead, which put him in a foul mood.
Immediately after the race was over, Verstappen went over to Russell to give him a piece of his mind, with the latter justifying his actions by saying there was “no grip”. Verstappen, who mentioned that everyone was driving in similar conditions, wasn’t pleased with the answer.
The two drivers were locked in a verbal standoff for the next few days, with both Russell and Verstappen taking digs at one another.
Verstappen wants fans to move on
Verstappen wants fans to forget about what happened between him and Russell. As reported by Next Gen Auto, Verstappen insists that everything is fine between him and Russell, even though the fans want their beef to continue.
The Dutchman reveals that they don’t see eye to eye on what happened, and still blame each other but they have both moved on. As we head into the fifth round of the 2023 F1 season, Verstappen expects the fans to do the same.
