Their collision on the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday was definitely not the primary second of controversy between Max Verstappen and George Russell, as their relationship continues to worsen
Every time there’s a spat in Components 1 lately, as a rule it is the identical two males on the centre of it. Max Verstappen isn’t any stranger to rubbing individuals up the fallacious method but it surely’s extra stunning that George Russell, often a extra sedate, measured character, is the one who finally ends up clashing with the Dutchman essentially the most.
They’ve identified one another since they have been kids – each are 27, Verstappen 138 days older than his British rival. In 2012, they have been each winners within the European Karting Championship held in Lincolnshire. Final September, Russell posted a photograph of them celebrating with one another as youngsters.
However issues have soured lately, notably since Russell stepped as much as Mercedes and commenced to compete with Verstappen on the sharp finish of the F1 grid.
The primary main conflict got here on the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Russell punched a gap within the sidepod of Verstappen’s Pink Bull through the Dash race. The latter waited for Russell within the pit lane to confront him, resulting in a tense argument on TV on the finish of which the Dutchman referred to as his rival a “d***head”.
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However the true fireworks got here final December, beginning with a grid penalty for Verstappen on the Qatar Grand Prix after impeding Russell throughout qualifying. He gained the race anyway however was clearly nonetheless seething, telling reporters after the race that he had “by no means seen somebody attempting to screw me over that arduous”.
All of it kicked off every week later in Abu Dhabi, the season finale, when Verstappen claimed Russell had “lied” to the Qatar stewards to get him penalised. That made the Brit snap – he and boss Toto Wolff spent a complete media session within the Mercedes hospitality unit “setting the document straight”.
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The spotlight was Russell claiming that Verstappen had threatened to “put my head within the f***ing wall”. He additionally mentioned: “I feel [Verstappen] has been enabled as a result of no one stood as much as him. Lewis [Hamilton] stood as much as him in 2021 and Lewis misplaced that championship unfairly.”
Nonetheless, regardless of that historical past, he was shocked by Verstappen’s petulance in Barcelona on Sunday. What the f***?” he requested over the radio earlier than telling Sky Sports activities afterwards that he had not anticipated his rival to drag a stunt like that.
However the truth Verstappen was penalised and dropped to tenth, doing important harm to his personal title possibilities, allowed Russell to take the ethical excessive floor. “Finally, I got here dwelling in P4 and he got here dwelling in P10,” he mentioned pointedly.
In fashionable F1, the place driver relationships are extra cordial than ever, what occurs on observe is often shortly forgotten. The exception appears to be when it includes these two, with little love misplaced there regardless of having identified one another for half their lives. It is hardly a Senna vs Prost stage rivalry however, if sooner or later Verstappen and Russell find yourself being direct title rivals, that might definitely change.
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