Mercedes’ young driver George Russell has proven he is not scared of close-quarter racing, his most recent incident being the 2023 Azerbaijan sprint race where the Mercedes driver and reigning champion Max Verstappen bumped tires during the first lap of the event.
After the race, the world champion was heard calling George a “d**khead” in a heated argument.
Max Verstappen’s audible “di**head” remarks on George Russell at Baku
Another incident involving Russell and the driver he replaced, Valtteri Bottas during the wet 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix where he sent the Finn flying into the wall at the end of the main straight. Russell was then spotted arguing with Bottas after jumping out of his car, even smacking the 33-year-olds’ helmet out of anger.
The Mercedes driver recently discussed the trust on track with fellow drivers
George believes he has a healthy relationship with most of the drivers on the grid, stating he trusts them when it comes to battling in tight spaces.
“We know each other’s driving styles, we know the risks one another take,” he said. Further adding the fact that he has been racing against Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc since 2011. This would explain the manner in which they race each other as they are aware of the driver’s reaction times and trust them to not put each other in a dangerous situation.
However, the British driver claims that he does not trust three drivers, whose names he did not share on the grid as they “lack spatial awareness of others”.
“So you actually prefer fighting hard against the great drivers because you know that they’re going to be able to control their car better and place it in hard positions but not dangerous positions compared with somebody who maybe isn’t at the same level as the best”, said Russell.
Despite their contact during the race earlier and Verstappens’ past demeanour which has earned him the nickname “Mad Max”, the 2-time world champion was not among the list of three drivers Russell previously mentioned.
George mentions that Verstappen has become less aggressive on track after winning the championship, stating he “is not in a position where he needs to be aggressive”, further adding “he can lose a position and know that he will get it back down the line”.
Russell mentions how the other drivers on the grid, including himself are in a “do or die position” pushing themselves to the edge to grab a race win whenever they can. Chalking up his heated moment with the Dutchman to another day in the office.
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