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George Russell has said that he will continue to race in the same way after his heated argument with Max Verstappen at the 2023 Azerbaijan GP sprint race. Both were in a wheel-to-wheel battle on the first lap of the sprint race, where Russell accidentally damaged Verstappen's car and overtook him. After the race, both had a heated argument about the overtake.
At the drivers' press conference before the 2023 Miami GP, where Sportskeeda was present, Russell was asked whether he would change his driving style against Verstappen after what happened in Baku. The Mercedes driver declared that he will continue to race in the same way as always and that he has moved on from the incident.
He brushed the heated argument off, saying that these incidents happen in racing. Russell said:
"I will continue racing the same way as I always would. A lot has been said about that coming together but from my side, it was pretty straightforward. I went for a move, got the move done and moved on. Obviously he was pretty upset about it but that’s racing and these things happen. And we're all here to fight so that's what everyone's about."
Furthermore, when he was asked whether he has spoken to Verstappen after the incident, Russell replied in the negative. However, he expressed that he has no beef with the Dutchman and will openly converse with him and shake hands whenever they meet. George Russell concluded:
"Again, from my side there's no air to be cleared. I'll welcome and say hello to him if he passes by and I'm sure we'll shake hands when we bump into each other. For me it's history now and it's behind us. Yeah, my view to him is still the same, I still respect him, I still think he's a great driver and obviously things were always said in the heat of the moment but yeah, we move on."
George Russell does not need apology from Max Verstappen after 2023 Azerbaijan GP sprint race
During the sprint race at the Azerbaijan GP, George Russell accidentally damaged Max Verstappen's car while battling him for a place. After the race, both had a heated discussion about the move, ending with Verstappen calling the Mercedes driver a 'd***head'.
However, George Russell later said that he does not need any apology from the reigning world champion. He simply sais that these kinds of words are unnecessary, saying (via motorsportweek):
“I don’t need an apology at all. He’s a two-time champion, leading the championship again at the moment. It doesn’t bother me, but he probably lets himself down a little bit with those sort of comments. Max is a super good guy, great-great driver, just words like that are a bit unnecessary.”
Instead of subtly taking another jibe at Max Verstappen, Russell surprisingly showered a bit of praise on the Dutchman. However, it's safe to say that Russell will never back down from an on-track fight, even after the incident in Baku.
