Max Verstappen calls George Russell a 'd**khead' following Azerbaijan collision

Max Verstappen and George Russell shared their sides of the story to the media after their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint Race on Saturday. However, it has now been revealed that they left out a small detail while relaying the story to the media. Apparently, the Red Bull ace called the Mercedes driver a "d***head" during their small "chat" at Parc Ferme.

It may be remembered that the two drivers started next to each other in the second row of the grid after qualifying in 3rd and 4th place at the inaugural Sprint Shootout earlier in the day. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took pole position, followed by Red Bull's Sergio Perez. Then, Verstappen and Russell started from the row behind.

In the opening lap, Leclerc and Perez got off cleanly but Verstappen and Russell collided after a few corners when the Briton managed to get his nose ahead at the apex. Verstappen got squeezed almost into the barriers and was lucky to have been able to continue racing despite sustaining damage on the side of his car from the clash with the Mercedes.

Verstappen immediately got on the radio to ask his team if Russell deserved a penalty for crashing into his car. "I don't see how he can drive into my car and keep his position, it's ridiculous," he said.

However, the stewards decided to chalk it up as a racing incident, but that did not mean the reigning world champion would do the same.

Perez eventually took victory with Leclerc and Verstappen behind. Despite gaining the place back, Verstappen walked over to Russell to give him a piece of his mind after the race.

According to Mirror, Russell told Verstappen that he "didn't do it on purpose" and simply had no grip and locked up at the turn, hence ending up slamming into the Red Bull. He also told the championship leader to have a look at footage from his onboard camera.

Verstappen was not having it, telling Russell that everyone had no grip at the start but had to leave space for the other cars around. When Russell stood his ground, Verstappen allegedly said: "Yeah, sure. Well, expect next time the same. D**khead."

While speaking to reporters after the exchange, Russell expressed his surprise at the Red Bull driver's reaction. "When he came over to me I thought he was coming to say "good battle, nice fight". I was very surprised at how angry he was," said Russell.

He then explained that from his point of view, it was his corner to take and Verstappen had already lost the position. Hence, he had every right to take the racing line and the Dutchman should have backed off at that point. "Ever since eight years old in go-karts, if you are on the inside at the apex of a corner then it's your corner. If a driver is trying to resist a position on the outside they are taking a huge risk."

Verstappen was also asked about the incident and after hearing what Russell said, he hit back by saying that he had the right to defend his position and the latter did not leave him enough room on the track. "Oh, defending on the outside is not allowed, because Princess George is there?" he said.

While the tension between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen has cooled down over the past year and into 2023, it seems as though the defending champion is heating up his rivalry with Russell.

However, both Mercedes drivers are a long way behind in the title race, and the real threat for Verstappen comes in the form of his teammate. Perez has been vocal about his desire to fight for the championship this year, and has also indicated that he will no longer sit back to be Verstappen's wing man.