“You Got to Be Blind or Stupid”: George Russell Borrows F1 Legend’s Words With Sneaky Dig at Charles Leclerc

Monza, in 2022, was a race weekend with its fair share of highs and lows. We witnessed the debut of a spectacular talent for the sport in Nyck de Vries. There was another masterclass from Max Verstappen as he stretched his lead on the top. Charles Leclerc and George Russell managed spots on the podium. But we also saw a bland finish to the race.

Heading into the weekend, the starting places were bagged by Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Ferrari fans would have been expecting a sweet homecoming for their team. Although that did not happen, we did see glimpses of a rivalry.

Moving into Turn 1, the Variante del Rettifilo, Leclerc and Russell battled. They battled ferociously to get the upper hand early in the race. The Brit did his best to make a move on the outside of Leclerc. It was very close. But the Monegasque maintained his calm. Leclerc was able to squeeze Russell for space. The Mercedes driver ended up off the chicane and into the run-off area.

In a friendly post-race banter, Russell mentioned Montoya. He said, “Yeah, it got pretty tight. (laughs) What was that quote that, was it Montoya, said (sic) in Imola, in like 2004?”

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It wasn’t Imola, but it was Montoya and it was 2004.

George Russell v. Charles Leclerc Reminds Us of Another Great Rivalry

Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher were great F1 drivers of their time. The Colombian drove for Williams and McLaren. He won 7 races. The German, on the other hand, is one of the greats of the sport. He has won 7 championships.

Nevertheless, it was a competitive and fierce rivalry between the two. At the now-defunct San Marino GP in 2004, the 2 drivers were battling for major parts of the race. With Jenson Button leading, Schumacher and Montoya wrestled for 2nd place. 

At one of the turns, Montoya tried to overtake Schumacher. But the German was not one to relent. He used his skills to strangle him for space. The incident was later brought up in the post-race interviews.

Montoya here said “Well, he said he didn’t see me. He thought I wasn’t there. So I don’t know. Forgot to look. Maybe. I don’t know.”

He further went on to add, “Oh no, he didn’t see me there [in reference to a video played of the incident]. You know you gotta either be blind or stupid to not see me but you know, it’s racing.”

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While the rivalry between Russell and Leclerc is nowhere as heated, they are as competitive and skilled. The young drivers have the ability and desire to challenge for the title, and will continue to give fans great spectacles of motorsports.