Brundle "disappointed" with Verstappen’s reaction in Russell spat

Verstappen swore at Russell in a heated confrontation in parc ferme after the pair came to blows while fighting over third place on the opening lap of the Baku sprint race. 

Having branded Russell a “d***head”, the two-time world champion then referred to the Mercedes driver as a ‘Princess’ in a later interview with Dutch media. 

And Verstappen’s comments did not impress Sky Sports F1’s Brundle. 

“It's first lap stuff on a very tight track,” Brundle told Sky. 

“I think George should have told him to fly away to be honest. I think we’ve seen Max fight really hard like that, Max was on the outside.

“As a Verstappen fan, I was a little bit disappointed how he handled that really to be frank. Part of that he suggested George was in a slower car so what's the point in trying to overtake him anyway.

“But you can't go racing like that, you might as well stay home. That’s not how Max goes racing and we love him for it.”

Verstappen did not offer an apology to Russell for his comments. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Russell said their Baku bust-up was “all a little bit pathetic”. 

"He has had his fair share of giving moves like that and being tough and hard at racing," Russell said on Thursday. 

"It's a little bit poor to see how he spat his dummy out when he got something back in the same regard.

“Something you learn as a kid is if you give something you've got to be prepared to take it as well."