Verstappen And Russell Have Hilarious Exchange Concerning Alonso Incident
F1Thursday, 04 April 2024 at 19:30
Max Verstappen poked fun at George Russell during the press conference ahead of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix for his incident with Fernando Alonso.
George Russell crashed on the final lap during the third round of the season at Albert Park Circuit after losing control of his car going into turn six behind the Spanish Matador.
Fernando Alonso was suggested to brake-test the 25-year-old. However, the 42-year-old defended himself, saying he sacrificed corner entry for a better exit speed.
Nevertheless, stewards deemed the actions of the experienced Aston Martin driver as potentially dangerous, which resulted in a 20-second penalty and a two-position drop after the race.
The controversial incident was discussed during the press conference ahead of the fourth round of the season at Suzuka Circuit, where the Mercedes driver said:
"Yeah we actually saw each other back home. Just coincidentally bumped into each other at a coffee shop."
But then, Russell was interrupted by the Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, who was also present at the conference, and said:
"Did you brake test him there or not?" (chuckles)
Russell also laughed at Verstappen's remark, but then he made sure to continue in all seriousness as he explained how drivers approach everything on and off the track.
"No, as I said before, it's nothing personal. When the helmet is on, we're all fighters and competing. When the helmet is off, you have respect for one another, so of course [there were] a lot of emotions in the moment but we've both moved forward from it."
Asked whether there was some debriefing between the two drivers over a cup of coffee as they bumped into each other, Russell light-heartedly responded:
"No, we didn't [discuss it]. He didn't get my coffee though, which was the least that could have happened, but no, it's history now."
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