George Russell says he won’t race Max Verstappen any differently following the clash between the pair in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race which angered his rival.
The pair made contact at turn two shortly after the start of the race as Russell overtook the Red Bull. The collision left a substantial hole in Verstappen’s sidepod which his team said caused a “massive” disruption to his car’s handling.Verstappen confronted Russell in parc ferme after the race and furiously criticised his rival’s driving. However the stewards did not investigate the incident and Russell said he will not change his approach if he goes up against the Red Bull driver again.
“I will continue racing the same way as I always would,” he said. “A lot has been said about that coming-together but from my side, it was pretty straightforward. I went for a move, got the move done and moved on.
“Obviously he was pretty upset about it but that’s racing and these things happen. And we’re all here to fight so that’s what everyone’s about.”
“From my side there’s no air to be cleared. I’ll welcome and say hello to him if he passes by and I’m sure we’ll shake hands when we bump into each other.
“For me it’s history now and it’s behind us. My view to him is still the same, I still respect him, I still think he’s a great driver and obviously things were always said in the heat of the moment but we move on.”
Verstappen jokingly dismissed questions about the relationship between the pair of them, calling it: “Terrible!
“No, of course not. That’s what people maybe like to hear. No, it’s absolutely fine.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2023 Miami Grand Prix
- Verstappen picks Miami Grand Prix as his best drive of 2023 so far
- Albon “maximised most races this year” despite single point scored to date
- A sign the upgrades worked? Ferrari see an upside to Leclerc’s Miami crashes
- Red Bull ‘surprised other teams under-delivered’ with their 2023 cars
- F1’s driver intros are right for US market but wouldn’t work at Silverstone – Horner
Jazz (@jazz)
5th May 2023, 11:01
Good for George, it’s not like Verstappen would extend the same courtesy if the situation was reversed. Verstappen has more to lose, so why not exploit that?
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
5th May 2023, 11:53
How about George concentrate on keeping control of his car, regardless what other drivers may or may not be in the vicinity.
It’s hilarious how young Mr Russell tries to turn a simple driver error on his part into some sort of statement of intent.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
5th May 2023, 12:51
We all need to show George the video of Max expertly keeping control of his car in Brazil as he traveled meters off the track with another racer on the outside. And there is also a video of Max expertly keeping his car under control and leaving space for the outside driver at a bunch of other races.
G
5th May 2023, 14:32
Watch the first corner at the USA GP 2015, the most aggressive drivers all do it.
Lewis used to try and bully Rosberg all the time but when Max came along and gave him a taste of his own medicine, everyone lost their minds.
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
5th May 2023, 18:43
I’d say the key to keeping control of his car will have to be found in young Mr Russell himself.
Which is why this childlike pointing fingers at others and proclaiming most loudly how his mistake was totally intentional is so disappointing.
melanos
5th May 2023, 22:01
Can’t see how Max’s past errors make GR right. Max left him plenty of space and still GR lost control, oversteered, hit Max, damaged his car severely and nearly pushed him to the wall. All reprehensible and nothing to be proud of. Can’t make a right out of two wrongs.
Femke
5th May 2023, 14:45
Hi Sir Verstappen fan :)
Nick T.
5th May 2023, 14:52
Always disliked George, but once upon a time this teeny little incident would barely have garnered much coverage. It’s just a microcosm of the entire way F1 is going: safety cars and RFs for everything, running in the wet only when the track will be dry enough for slicks in 5-10 laps, pretending F1 didn’t successfully run in dense spray for until 2019, bumps like this being mentioned in lap and then forgotten, etc. Maybe they shouldn’t play the radio of the drivers whining in the heat of the moment to avoid these sort of absurd fan and media reactions.
Nick T.
5th May 2023, 15:20
Also, do you think GR really volunteered this comment out of the blue? A journo obviously asked “will you change your driving style due to the incident and/or MV’s comments?” So, he obviously hasn’t been wasting much time concentrating on the issue.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
5th May 2023, 12:10
George didn’t do anything that Max hasn’t done, or wouldn’t do, in the same circumstances.
Max being Max he got angry and had to let off steam afterwards, but that is it.
It’s over.
It’s racing.
and trying to turn it into some kind of Nationalistic dispute is frankly pathetic.
SteveM
5th May 2023, 12:13
One thing I don’t get is why he called him Princess George…..it was Max acting like an entitled princess. George couldn’t have cared less.
Ju88sy (@)
5th May 2023, 13:25
It was apparently the nickname that ART (George’s F2 Team that he won the title with) gave to him (source; lunchtime browsing of the official F2 site).
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
5th May 2023, 12:45
Ahah, I liked that “terrible” relationship joke!
Moshambles (@moshambles)
5th May 2023, 13:02
The strong opinions on this are hilarious
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
5th May 2023, 13:19
Y’all really need to stop trying to make this a thing, come on.
Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
5th May 2023, 14:21
In the interest of “the show” George should have channeled K Mag with a response while the cameras were rolling. Then of course, Liberty would have done everything they could to make sure they line up side by side in Miami.
G
5th May 2023, 14:24
Funny how he thinks understeering into another car and causing damage to help him get past is ‘getting a move done’.
Bojangles
5th May 2023, 16:23
+1
SteveP
5th May 2023, 19:14
I think you will find the contact didn’t occur in the corner, it occurred during one of Max’s little left-right-left bully tactic moves.
Obviously, George shouldn’t have been there to be bullied.
G
6th May 2023, 13:18
Not sure what you were watching, or dreaming about.
Here’s the analysis of George plowing his front wheel into Max’s sidepod.
https://youtu.be/P8N9ssZ4xJA