George Russell intends to continue facing Max Verstappen in 2025

George Russell gave an exclusive interview to the British media Autosport, in which he discusses his feud with Max Verstappen during last season and his intentions at the beginning of this year.

A self-confidence that allows him to defend himself.

If it seems logical that a rookie would hesitate to defend themselves against a world champion, Russell has gained enough experience to dare to speak up now: « I am now starting my seventh year in F1 and you start to know where you stand. »

The origin of the problem between Russell and Verstappen

In Qatar in 2024, Russell accused Verstappen of blocking him in qualifying, which resulted in a grid penalty for the Dutch driver, as well as great disappointment: “I couldn’t believe I got it,” he said about the penalty. Going further, he claimed that if he had respected Russell, it was now over: “I’ve lost all respect.” Then, in Abu Dhabi, Russell stated that Verstappen had threatened him. “He comes out and says ‘I’m going to deliberately crash into you, I’m going to hit you.’ For me, that’s unacceptable and he has crossed the line here.”

« Those comments in Qatar pushed me to the edge », said Russell to Autosport.

However, Russell’s experience in Formula 1 grants him influence, but also a certain responsibility towards himself. You become aware of your own voice, the platform you have, and the impact you can have. I thought it was important for me not to accept being pushed around and disrespected in this way, so openly and publicly.

The refusal to encourage Verstappen’s behavior

« It was the main driving force behind this. I have seen many people in life push and manipulate others to get what they want. Someone needs to stand up to these kinds of individuals – and no one has done so until now. »

This desire to fight against Verstappen’s way of being also stems from a sense of injustice for George Russell. But the Mercedes driver qualifies this last statement, reminding that his former teammate did not let it slide: « The only driver who did it was Lewis; he was the only one to do it in 2021, and it was obviously an incredible season. »

We indeed remember the last lap of the very last race of the 2021 season, where the world champion title was decided by a tire change.

« I simply thought back on everything that had happened, both on the track with his driving maneuvers and off the track with his statements. It was not acceptable, and something needed to be done.

Russell not only denounces words, but it’s a whole situation that makes it unbearable: Verstappen’s behavior bothers him on the track and off. Between the threats received after their meeting with the stewards in Qatar and Max’s somewhat aggressive driving style, Russell could no longer tolerate the situation.

Obviously, it is preferable to see a competition played out based on the talent of a driver and their team rather than on their aggressiveness and lack of fair play: Formula 1 fans prefer that a pole position be determined by a thousandth of a second rather than a tense conversation between two angry drivers and the stewards. But of course, it’s a question of perspective: « I really felt that George and Mercedes made a big drama out of it », stated Christian Horner in reaction to Verstappen’s penalty in Qatar. The stakes are so high that each team will continue to fight for their drivers’ results, even with the stewards.

Russell does not fear retaliation.

And George Russell is ready to take risks if necessary. For example, we remember Christian Horner’s remarks, who had explained that, according to him, Max had been penalized on the Qatar starting grid only because Russell had behaved in a hysterical manner. But that’s not all: following the altercation with Verstappen, Mercedes received numerous criticisms from some fans: “I must be honest. I didn’t see anything myself, but I know there was a lot of criticism,” he says on the subject. “I know that members of my team were receiving emails from Dutch fans. But I think that’s part of the sport and life, isn’t it?”

He then shares his thoughts on social media in general, and criticism in particular: « It’s something we accept. And you can choose to read them and let it have an emotional impact on you. Even if you laugh off the comments, it affects you in some way. » He further specifies: « So I have this perspective and mentality that, even with positive comments, does it really make me drive faster? Probably not. And most of the time, there’s more negative than positive, so I really try to avoid them. » Russell thus manages to distance himself from comments about him, allowing him to be little or not at all affected by possible moralizing remarks.

Verstappen having stated last season that he did not rule out the possibility of leaving F1 if the sport no longer suited him, we can expect that he will not change his way of driving or even behaving off the track: the Dutch driver has, in a way, nothing to lose. Furthermore, given his quite impressive results, we know that the Red Bull Racing team will likely do everything in its power to keep the four-time world champion on their team and defend him no matter what. If Russell stands his ground and continues to oppose Verstappen, we could see new disagreements between the two drivers in 2025.