MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JUNE 08: Pole position qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes and … [+] Second placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in parc ferme after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 08, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
George Russell and Max Verstappen have vowed to bury the hatchet ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 season, insisting their public spat was water under the bridge.
The pair spectacularly fell out at the back end of last year, amid a series of less than edifying verbal jousts.
Speaking at the F175 event in London ahead of the 2025 season on Tuesday, however, Russell sounded determined to draw a line under his run-in with the Dutchman.
“We haven’t spoken, [I have] no concerns about him or his driving or anything,” he said.
“That happened last year and I want to focus on myself.
“Obviously, things I felt got out of line at the end of last year, and made it pretty clear that I’m not going to kind of take it.”
Asked whether any bad blood that may be lingering between him and Verstappen would affect the way he approaches the upcoming season, Russell was adamant he had moved on from the controversy.
“But now, it’s 2025 and I’m focused on the job – and the job is to win,” he said.
“So you know, I’m not going to change my approach, fighting him, fighting any other drivers.
“The goal is the same, and I guess we’ll see when we get to Melbourne.”
The Dutchman echoed the stance, noting he had no desire to extend the acrimony between him and Russell into this season.
“I have no intention to continue any kind of beef in February,” he said.
“Like, I’m still enjoying my time actually away from Formula 1, and just getting ready for the season. I have honestly nothing to say about that subject.”
The Verstappen vs Russell feud explained
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 30: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and … [+] Oracle Red Bull Racing and Second placed qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes attend the press conference after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 30, 2024 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Verstappen said he’d “lost all respect” for the Briton after a controversial ending to the qualifying session ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix in November.
The Red Bull driver took pole-position ahead of Russell in Lusail but was handed a one-place grid penalty for driving “unnecessarily slowly on a cool-down lap.”
With Verstappen slowing down in a bid to cool his tyres towards the end of Q3, he and Russell tangled at Turn 12, with the latter forced onto the gravel as a result.
The Mercedes driver complained over the radio that Verstappen’s behaviour had been “extremely dangerous” and argued his case in front of the stewards.
The sanction ultimately proved inconsequential as Verstappen won the race on Sunday, but the Dutchman was far from impressed with his rival conduct.
“I was quite surprised when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on,” Verstappen said after the race.
“I’ve never seen someone trying to s***w someone over that hard.”
Russell returned fire a week later ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, when he accused Verstappen of “bullying” his fellow drivers for years.
Remarkably, the Mercedes driver also claimed the four-time world champion had threatened to deliberately crash into him at the Qatar Grand Prix the previous week and to “put you on your f***ing head in the wall”.
Speaking to the media, Russell questioned Verstappen’s behaviour in Qatar.
“I find it all quite ironic, seeing as Saturday night he said he was going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and ‘put me on my f***ing head in the wall,’” he said.
“So to question somebody’s integrity as a person while saying comments like that the day before, I find, is very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.”
Russell was not the only driver to go wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen last season, with Lando Norris challenging the world champion on several occasions.
Norris ready to get his “elbows out” against Verstappen
IMOLA, ITALY – MAY 19: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and … [+] Second placed Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren talk in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit on May 19, 2024 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The McLaren driver, who finished second in the drivers’ standings, and the Red Bull star collided in Austria in June with the former forced to retire as a result.
The Briton was then hit with a controversial penalty after overtaking Verstappen off the track in Austin, before the Dutchman was handed two separate penalties for forcing his rival off the track in Mexico a week later.
The exchange prompted Norris to label Verstappen as “dangerous” on the team radio, before accusing him of crossing the line.
Speaking last week, the McLaren driver said he was prepared to “get his elbows out” this season against his rival.
Verstappen, however, insisted he wasn’t bothered by his rivals.
“I prefer to just focus on myself. That’s the only thing I can control, that’s what I’ll always do,” he said.
“When I’m away, I don’t really think about my rivals or whatever. I just live my life. That’s the only thing I can say really.”
Verstappen, Russell and Norris will renew their rivalry in Australia next month, when the season gets underway in Melbourne on March 16.
