The first Sprint Race of the year is in the books, and there were a few heated exchanges between George Russell and Max Verstappen, the current leader of the championship in a viral video
Verstappen’s slow start to the Sprint race afforded George Russell the chance to pass Max on the inside as Max was in third place and Russell was in fourth. Sadly, he was unable to completely hold his line and made contact with Max Verstappen. After the race, it was found that Verstappen’s sidepod had a significant hole in it.
Later in the race, Verstappen was able to pass him with a similar manoeuvre that avoided making contact. Verstappen’s race engineer then announced on the radio: “Lovely job Max. Also without contact, well done. Verstappen responded, “Yeah, I know how to do that,” to the question. After the race, the two drivers also spoke briefly.
“D*ckhead,” Max Verstappen lashes out at George Russell after Azerbaijan GP sprint race, video goes viral
max verstappen 10-time world embarassment champion 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Wz5HgKNO2u
— elle (@HAMLEWISIR) April 29, 2023
No, but I love the change of mood 😭
Max to Russell: Dickhead 😡
Max to Checo: Good job ☺️ pic.twitter.com/aylaD5G5y2
— Marie🌸 LET’S GO CHECO (@ma_fe79) April 29, 2023
What did George Russell and Max Verstappen say about the incident?
Due to the fact that George Russell’s overtaking occurred during the first lap, the FIA chose not to launch an investigation. However, George Russell later ran into Max Verstappen and excused himself by saying he had a poor start to the race. Verstappen disagreed with this justification, arguing that everyone starts with a low grip. Verstappen then said, “But anticipate the next time to be the same you know… Di*khead”
George and Max have a tense post-Sprint debrief over their Lap 1 contact 😅#AzerbaijanGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/TjtwOyu5ff
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 29, 2023
George Russell was questioned about the event at the Post Sprint interview. He responded, “I was down the inside, and as a driver, you know the risks of being on the outside. I’m here to battle. He is leading the world championship, but I am here to win, so I won’t back off.”
Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been dominating the race pace thus far, and they presently sit atop the Championship standings. Today’s Sprint race saw Sergio Perez easily overtake Leclerc. Even though Russell finished in third, the Red Bull team believed that he could have passed Leclerc for a 1-2 finish for Red Bull. Verstappen was obviously not happy with Russell.
In the post-race interview, Max Verstappen stated, “He’s really excellent at explaining and coming up with justifications. Everyone had icy tyres, so I felt perfectly justified in remaining outside. I gave him adequate room. However, to make the corner, two guys must cooperate. He obviously didn’t.”
George Russell seemed to pursue Verstappen as if he had nothing to lose. The grid for the Sunday main race will not be impacted by the Sprint Shootout or Sprint Race, per the new Sprint Format. George Russell’s behaviour may have been a little more aggressive than usual as a result of this.
Reactions from the public to Verstappen and Russell’s crash
Here are some fan responses to the incident that left Max Verstappen’s car with a significant hole in it.
max verstappen “we all need to give a little bit of space” pic.twitter.com/EnYse1MsMb
— ☆ (@dearlews) April 29, 2023
How Max was bodied by Sir George Russell 😳🫣 pic.twitter.com/ku8FMkysoh
— #CL16 🆑🏎️ (@AmScuderia) April 29, 2023
In certain instances, as the one at Monza in 2021 when Verstappen found himself on top of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes as Hamilton was exiting the pits, Verstappen did not leave enough space.
The teams and drivers are currently getting ready for tomorrow’s major race. At least initially, Verstappen shouldn’t experience any Russell issues. George Russell qualified poorly and finished 11th, while Max Verstappen starts in second place. Charles Leclerc won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s pole position for the third time in a row.