Last year at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Max Verstappen self-admittedly rammed his car into a Mercedes being driven by Lewis Hamilton. And he went on record saying, “He didn’t leave me space so I knew we were going to get together. It cost him the race win. For me, it gave me five seconds.” Perhaps Karmic balance has come full circle as a Mercedes today damage his hopes of claiming the streets of Azerbaijan, at least in the Sprint race. And Max Verstappen hasn’t taken it well.
Probably the speed gods have answered the prayers of the people as we have been witnessing Red Bull versus Mercedes action. However, the only difference is, it is George Russell and not Lewis Hamilton who has been making a go at edging the RBs. Today was the second time in a row when Russell going into the first corner didn’t back out and got ahead of Verstappen. However, the Dutchman who had once kicked Esteban Ocon in the garage didn’t handle the situation gracefully.
The team on the radio informed Verstappen that he had picked some damage and when the reigning champion asked how that came about, the scathing reply was, “How do you think?” We knew then that this one was not going to end well, and it did unfold horribly when the camera caught Russell and Max having a back-and-forth.
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While showing sportsmanship, Russell approached Max, stating he had a lockup and the onboard will testify to it. Max was just not having it. Moreover, Russell further clarified, stating he had no grip and the angry Verstappen snapped back, saying, “We all had no grip. Next time expect the same.”
While George Russell has made Max an unhappy man at Sprint, the Sprint format itself hadn’t brought any happiness to him.
Max Verstappen unhappy with the changing DNA of Formula 1
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With six sprint races and an unprecedented format at Baku, things are being shuffled around at the F1 end. While it may seem like a full weekend for a viewer, Verstappen, who says he has no intentions of being a seven-time champion, had threatened to quit.
Max stated, “I’m happy with just the main race. I think that’s way better for the excitement. Naturally, of course, I hope that there won’t be too many changes, otherwise, I won’t be around for too long.”
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Do you think it was right of Verstappen to lash out at George?