George Russell opens up on Max Verstappen feud: “There’s no love lost”

George Russell has no regrets about his feud with Max Verstappen, which escalated into a war of words at the end of the 2024 F1 season.

The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was dominated by Russell and Verstappen’s fiery exchange in the media.

It stemmed from Verstappen picking up a grid penalty in Qatar, and the role Russell played in influencing the stewards irked the reigning world champion.

Verstappen said that he had lost “all respect” for Russell and that he’d “never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard.”

Russell hit back at Verstappen, criticising the Dutchman for his inability to deal with adversity.

He referenced the Red Bull driver’s on-track behaviour against Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

In an interview with the BBC, Russell addressed his feud with Verstappen, admitting there had been “no love lost”.

“I wasn’t going to just stand and be bullied around,” Russell said. “People seem to always back down to him. And that’s just not how I go about my business.

“I’m not there to be best mates with a world champion. I’m here to win. And that’s his mentality as well. There’s no love lost. I’ve never been scared to race against Max. I’ve always put up a fight.”

In a separate interview with BBC Radio 5 Live in February, Russell made it clear that he has “no intentions” to speak to Verstappen about it.

“I’ve got no intentions [to], to be honest,” Russell added. “That happened last year. I want to focus on myself. Things got out of line last year. That was then. We are not going to go back to being best mates, that’s for sure.”

Russell dismisses “pressure” question

With Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, Russell is now the clear team leader.

However, Russell’s current Mercedes contract expires at the end of 2025.

Mercedes have expressed interest in signing Verstappen, with Toto Wolff showing clear admiration for the four-time world champion.

Russell dismissed any questions about there being additional pressure heading into the new campaign.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure whatsoever,” he added. “All I need to do is continue doing what I’m doing, continue doing what I’ve done my whole career.

“So that changes nothing. And it’s not even something I’m thinking about. Because I 100% back myself. It’s as simple as that. You perform and everything will be there for you.

“I want to go up against the best. I don’t feel that my ability is in question.”