George Russell issues brutal verdict on Max Verstappen relationship
"I made it pretty clear that I'm not going to take it"
George Russell has spoken out about the status of his relationship with Max Verstappen after their clashes last year.
A bust-up at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix in late-2024 saw Red Bull’s Verstappen and Mercedes’ Russell continue their war of words.
Now Russell has provided an update - and it seems that rebuilding their friendship is off the cards.
They “hadn’t spoken” over the winter period, Russell confirmed at the F1 75 Live event.
He added that he didn’t plan on smoothing things over with Verstappen.
"I've got no concerns about him or his driving.
"That happened last year, and I want to focus on myself.
"Obviously things, I felt, got out of line last year. I made it pretty clear that I'm not going to take it.
"Now in 2025, I am focused on the job. The job is to win.
"I won't change my approach fighting him or any other drivers. The goal is the same."
Verstappen was also asked at Tuesday's F1 75 Live event about his relationship with Russell.
But he answered: "It's fine, all good."
The row in Qatar happened after Verstappen and Russell were summoned to the stewards room, with the Red Bull driver investigated for driving slowly.
Later, Verstappen insisted he “lost all respect” for Russell, adding: “I've never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard.”
Russell hit back saying: "Someone needs to stand up to a bully like this.”
Russell v Verstappen II in 2025?
Inevitably Russell and Verstappen will race wheel-to-wheel at some point in the new season.
Russell’s claim that he will not back down against the aggressive Verstappen could cause fireworks.
Much will depend on the competitiveness of their Mercedes and Red Bull machines.
Those manufacturers are expected to lag behind McLaren, and possibly Ferrari too, in the earliest stages of the F1 2025 season.
Russell is stepping into slightly new territory as Mercedes' senior driver, after Lewis Hamilton's exit and Andrea Kimi Antonelli's arrival.
Verstappen, meanwhile, is gunning for a fifth F1 drivers' title in a row but it might be his hardest task yet due to the competitiveness between the top teams.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
