George Russell has admitted that he’s not expecting an apology from Max Verstappen, after the reigning World Champion called the Mercedes driver a “d***head” after the Azerbaijan sprint race.
Things got heated very quickly between Russell and Verstappen back at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last April, where the duo collided on the opening lap of the sprint race.
Whilst jostling for third on the way into Turn 2, Russell held the inside line on the Red Bull driver; however, the British driver went wide.
As a result, he collided into the side of the two-time World Champion, ripping a hole in the left sidepod of his RB19.
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Verstappen was absolutely furious with Russell, with the pair’s incident having spilled over into parc ferme.
Russell tried to apologise to Verstappen in parc ferme after the sprint but Verstappen was having none of it.
The Mercedes driver insisted he had “no grip”, to which Verstappen snapped back by noting that “we all have no grip”.
“I’ve got no grip” Russell could be seen saying to Verstappen, before the Dutchman stated: “We all have no grip, we all need to leave a little bit of space.”
When Russell walked away from the Red Bull driver, Verstappen could be seen calling out: “Expect the same next time, d***head.”
A lot of racing has taken place since Azerbaijan, with Verstappen having won every race bar one since finishing second in Baku.
Russell was recently asked, though, if he’s still expecting an apology from Verstappen, something he admits he’s not as it’s “water under the bridge and you move on”.
“It’s racing. It’s a physical sport even though it’s sometimes not perceived that way,” Russell told the Beyond the Grid podcast.
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“The cognitive stress you’re under, your own personal pressures… We all want to do the best job possible and we all respect that.
“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”