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George Russell has insisted that he does not expect to receive an apology from Max Verstappen, despite being called a ‘d***head’ by the Dutchman after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race earlier this year. The Mercedes driver has claimed there’s ‘water under the bridge’ following April’s race, despite tempers flaring between the pair.
Verstappen was furious with Russell after the pair tangled during the opening stages of the sprint race at the Baku City Circuit. The pair collided on turn two when Russell attempted to slip through a gap on the inside of the Red Bull driver after a fast start.
After the race, the Brit pleaded his innocence and was heard saying: “I’ve got no grip” before Verstappen snapped back: “We all have no grip, we all need to leave a little bit of space.” As Russell walked away from the situation, cameras caught Verstappen call out: “Expect the same next time, d***head.”
The matter was never publicly resolved, and Russell has now revealed that he does not expect to receive an apology as tempers often flare in the heat of the moment. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the Brit explained: “It’s racing. It’s a physical sport even though it’s sometimes not perceived that way. The cognitive stress you’re under, your own personal pressures… We all want to do the best job possible and we all respect that.
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“None of us are going out there to crash on purpose or take somebody else off. There is never an apology needed. It doesn’t matter what has been said. In those moments, within an hour after the race, it doesn’t matter what’s said.
“It’s water under the bridge and you move on. You might not be best pals for the next couple of races, but we’re all mature enough to recognise it’s racing”
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Instead, Russell’s main issue with Verstappen appears to be how he won the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton in controversial circumstances. The Red Bull driver clinched victory in Abu Dhabi with a last-lap overtake thanks to a safety car being removed late on by now-sacked race director Michael Masi.
Speaking about the incident, Russell shied away from recognising the title win, saying: “You’ve only got to rewind back to 2020, when Mercedes built one of the most competitive cars of all time. Then in 2021, Max won the Championship. Or at least there was a battle between Max and Lewis for the Championship.”
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