"I was surprised" - George Russell offers verdict after altercation with Max Verstappen during Azerbaijan sprint race

George Russell has offered his view on an altercation between himself and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the Azerbaijan sprint race, with the latter appearing to call the former a 'd***head.'

The two went wheel to wheel almost immediately in the first lap of the sprint and appeared to make contact in both turn two and turn three with Verstappen venting his frustrations over his team radio before eventually finishing third ahead of the Brit.

After the race ended, the damage on Verstappen’s car was revealed as the camera panned to the Red Bull’s side pod, which had a hole in as a result of the incident.

The damage to Max's car 😮 pic.twitter.com/jtYndfJKeC

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 29, 2023

The cameras then captured a conversation between the pair as Russell explained: “I had no grip.”, to which Verstappen said: “Mate, we all have no grip. We all need to give a little bit of space.”

The Dutchman then appeared to say: “But expect it next time the same, you know. D***head.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Mercedes driver offered his verdict on the altercation, saying: "I was on the inside and I think, as a driver, you know the risks when you're on the outside. I'm here to fight, I'm here to win and I'm not going to hold back just because he's [Verstappen] leading the championship.

"I was quite surprised that he was still trying to hold it around the outside. It was on a street circuit. He's got a lot more to lose than I have.

"I'm not going to hold back because he's leading the championship"

George Russell explains his side of the incident between himself and Max Verstappen during the Sprint 👇 pic.twitter.com/zPoVIoNreD

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 29, 2023

"None of the contact was intentional, I was just doing my best to have a clean fight. I was surprised that he was resistant to his position; I was on the inside."

Russell then went on to add: "I was surprised that he was so angry to be honest. He still finished the race in P3, it's a difficult situation. He's got enough experience to know that if you're trying to overtake a guy on the outside, there's a risk that a guy on the inside is going to run wide into you. I don't think anything would've been any different had the positions been reversed so, anyway, we'll live to tell the tale."