Max Verstappen and George Russell’s relationship has had its share of ups and downs recently.

Tensions notably flared in the lead-up to last year’s Qatar Grand Prix – showcasing that their once budding friendship isn’t immune to turbulence. The duo clashed when Russell took issue with Verstappen’s driving during the final qualifying session, accusing the Red Bull ace of blocking him.

Despite the feud, Russell secured pole position and claimed victory at the 2024 season finale, while Verstappen, despite finishing fifth, wrapped up his fourth straight Formula 1 title after a dominant year on track. In response to their spat, a candid Verstappen shared with reporters: “You know what it is? He (Russell) always acts very nice here in front of the cameras, but when you are in there (in the stewards’ room) he is just a completely different person.

“I can’t stand that. Then it’s better to just f*** off, because I don’t have to deal with it. It was honestly very disappointing, because I think all of us here, we respect each other a lot. I’ve been in that meeting room many times in my life and in my career with people that I’ve raced. And I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect.”

The frosty relationship between Verstappen and Russell can be traced back to the 2023 Azerbaijan sprint, where Verstappen labelled Russell a “d***head” following a collision. However, in a subsequent interview on Beyond the Grid, Russell downplayed the incident, saying: “I think it began with a ‘D’, and I think it ended in a ‘D’ as well. Yeah, you know, it’s racing. We’re all in the heat of the moment. It’s a physical sport, even though it’s sometimes not perceived that way,” reports the Express.

Despite their on-track disagreements, Verstappen has previously praised Russell’s driving abilities. In 2023, Verstappen opined that Russell has the potential to clinch the world championship title in the future, saying: “George is part of the generation with Lando [Norris] and Charles [Leclerc] and me that grew up together.

“I raced against George a bit in karting, though he’s a year younger. You could see straight away he was good. It came naturally to him – he didn’t need a lot of laps to be quick. He has the potential to be a world champion.”

Elsewhere, Russell has also demonstrated solidarity with Verstappen on the odd occasion. In the latter stages of the 2024 season, Russell sprang to Verstappen’s defence when the latter faced community service for using expletives in a press conference – a penalty enforced by the FIA’s crackdown on swearing and improper language.

Russell said: “We definitely don’t want to take that raw emotion away from the drivers. I think that’s key in our sport. Maybe, in a press conference, there’s merit in saying we need to keep our words clean. But for sure, on the radio, you want to be able to express yourself as you desire.”

Dinner drama ensued as Lando Norris poked fun at the lack of rapport between Russell and Verstappen during the 2024 drivers’ dinner. The McLaren driver posted a picture of the joyful F1 bunch relishing their meal at season’s end, with a cheeky caption which read: “2024 dinner! And yes, the two you’re thinking about were sat as far away from each other as possible.”

Sky Sports F1 expert Martin Brundle added his voice to the discourse in December, suggesting Verstappen had ‘ramped up the aggression’ while also ‘playing the victim’ off-track – casting Russell as the sole ‘brave enough’ figure to confront him. Brundle said: “How I see this is that Max has ramped up the aggression on the track and ramped up playing the victim off the track – and it’s working.

“He’s got everyone on the run, he’s got everyone on edge, whether it’s media, whether it’s other teams, particularly other drivers, and it’s how he goes about his racing. We know he’s always been aggressive on the race track and I think he’s seen ‘I can basically say what I want and get away with what I want’. He knows the rulebook, he knows how to control his car – he’s brilliant at controlling his car in wheel-to-wheel situations – and every time he does it, it plays out for him.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull adviser, Helmut Marko, weighed in with some advice for Russell after the flare-up during the Qatar GP qualifiers. While speaking to Sky Germany, Marko said: “It has indeed blown up too much and it should actually stay among the drivers. But above all, one has to stick to the truth. I think this is basically maybe a discussion you should just have among yourselves.”

Taking a forward-looking stance, Russell recently made it clear that despite the tensions with Verstappen, he considers that chapter closed, declaring no issues with his racing adversary. Touching on their relationship with the press in February, Russell said; “Haven’t spoken, no concerns about him or his driving or anything.

“That happened last year, and I want to focus on myself. Obviously, things I felt were outlined at the end of last year and I made it pretty clear that I’m not going to take it. But now it is 2025, and I am focused on the job. And the job is to win, so I’m not going to change my approach fighting him or fighting any other drivers. The goal is the same and yeah, I guess we’ll see when we get to Melbourne.”

Verstappen also expressed his desire to move on from the past controversy, recently telling reporters: “Honestly, I have no intention to continue any kind of beef in February. I’m still enjoying my time actually away from Formula 1 and just getting ready for the season. So I have honestly nothing to say about that subject.”

The tension between the two was humorously highlighted during the F1 75 launch event at The O2 in London on Tuesday night, which offered a sneak peek into Verstappen and Russell’s current relationship as they prepare to return to racing in Australia on March 16. Comedian Jack Whitehall couldn’t resist making a joke about their feud, saying directly to Verstappen: “Cheer up Max, it could’ve been worse, we didn’t seat you next to George Russell. Where is George? Have you two kissed and made up yet?”

The camera quickly panned to Verstappen, who responded with a subtle nod and a smirk, while Russell was seen sporting a beaming smile. The interaction suggests F1 fans are in for a thrilling rivalry this season.

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