Russell Defends Verstappen Over Heated 'D**khead' Remark

Thursday, 05 October 2023 at 03:30

Updated at Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 22:02

Geroge Russell and Max Verstappen had a heated moment after the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race, but according to the British driver, all is fine now.

The heat of the moment can get to everyone, and that's what seemingly happened during the sprint race at the Baku City Circuit in April. In 2023, Verstappen didn't win only three races, and one of them was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

But even before the feature race, the Dutch driver struggled in the sprint race. But the struggles weren't because of Verstappen's driving, but rather because of the damage that he had on his car as a result of an incident with Russell when going into Turn 2 on the opening lap of the sprint.

After the incident, both drivers were able to finish the race, however, the two-time World Champion wasn't able to extract the maximum from his car, as his teammate, Sergio Perez, finished first, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Verstappen finishing third and Russell fourth.

After the sprint race, TV cameras overheard a conversation between the two F1 drivers, and the whole world could have heard Verstappen calling Russell a 'd**khead'.

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"Mate, we all have no grip. We all need to give a little bit of space. But expect it next time the same, you know. D**khead."

But as a fellow driver, the Brit knows that moments like that are not rare, and that the heat of the moment can get to anyone, especially after the two drivers collided on the opening lap of the sprint, when the Drivers' Championship was far from decided. Russell talked about the moment during his recent appearance on Beyond the Grid podcast, defending Verstappen.

"The cognitive stress, you’re under your own personal pressures and pressures from the outside, we all want to do the best job possible and we all respect that. So none of us are purposefully going out there to crash or purposely take somebody else off."

"But it doesn’t matter what’s been said, I think in those moments within an hour after the race or during the race, if you’ve come together, and you’re on the sidelines together, it doesn’t matter what said, it’s sort of water under the bridge and you move on. You know, you might not be best pals for the next couple of races, but we’re all mature enough to recognise it’s just racing."