Max Verstappen has been relatively silent during the 2023 season as compared to the previous one. And why would he complain? The Dutchman is leading the championship and is dominating the grid comfortably. However, the feud between him and George Russell at the Azerbaijan GP did stand out. The Briton has now taken a step back on his comments after Verstappen’s “d**khead” jibe as he makes a shocking statement. What did George Russell say?

George Russell went into the sidepod of Max Verstappen’s RB19 during the Baku sprint, which led to a full-blown exchange of words for a whole week. It all started when Max Verstappen called Russell a “d**khead” for his move, followed by the Mercedes driver suggesting that the Dutchman only got a little taste of what he was like back in the day. Russell followed up by explaining how Verstappen could’ve left space and that he only embarrassed himself by saying such a word on live TV. 

However, George Russell has now backpedaled on the intensity against Verstappen, as he suggested the reason behind the Dutchman not being as aggressive as he was in the past. Russell explains how the Red Bull driver knows he doesn’t need to be aggressive, as the machine underneath him is very capable. We’ve seen how Max Verstappen carves his way through the field even when he starts at the back or in the midfield. 

According to F1Maximaal.com, George Russell said “He’s not in a position to be aggressive. If he doesn’t drive in front, he knows in the back of his mind that he will most likely be in front again within a number of laps, he now has to make much less effort.”[Translated Via Google]

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However, the almighty prowess is not down to only Max Verstappen or the RB19. It is a combination of the two, as George Russell’s boss also spoke up about the Dutchman and his machinery.

Toto Wolff praises Max Verstappen and Red Bull 

Despite the aerodynamics and cost penalties because of overspending in the 2022 season, Red Bull and Max Verstappen have come out on top. Toto Wolff acknowledged the effort put in by the team and the driver as he explained how the Dutchman is in the form of his life and Red Bull has built a rocketship purely on a merit basis. 

According to racefans.net, Toto Wolff said, “I think Verstappen is just on a different level. It p*sses me off to say that but that is the reality. There is a meritocracy, they’ve [Red Bull] just done the best job, the driver’s driving excellent and they are just far away. And that is something which only we have in our hands to get under control.”

Watch this Story: George Russell Sends a Feisty Response to Max Verstappen’s D**khead Jibe in Azerbaijan

What did you make of George Russell going easy on Max Verstappen?