© Sam Bloxham for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
George Russell says Max Verstappen’s rant included “a lot of f*cks”, and adds “he’s leading the championship so it was a little bit surprising”.
On lap 1 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint Race, George Russell and Max Verstappen were involved in a battle for P3, which led to a collision that damaged Max’s sidepod.
After the race, Max confronted George in parc ferme, but the Briton wasn’t interested in a discussion. This caused Verstappen to call him a “d**khead”.
Russell says he was surprised by Max’s reaction.
“I don’t really know if it was a chat,” the Briton said.
“I was quite surprised, I thought he was coming over to say ‘good battle’, to be honest.
“From my side, I was on the inside, the position was already lost from him, and I was really quite surprised he was still trying to hold in round the outside.
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“Ever since we were eight years old in go karting, if you are on the inside on the apex, it’s your corner, and if you try and hold it round the outside, you are taking the risk.
“I’m here to fight, I’m here to win. I’m not just going to wave him by because he’s Max Verstappen in a Red Bull. Nothing really more to say. I thought the move was on and that’s about it, really.”
When asked to expand on what Verstappen had told him, Russell said:
“There were a lot of f*cks, ‘What the f*ck’. I didn’t really hear much more than that. He’s leading the championship so it was a little bit surprising.
“From my side, I’ve got less to lose, so I went for it. It’s part of racing,” the Briton concluded.
