Max Verstappen has had an imperious start to the F1 season, but this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix has not exactly gone according to plan so far for the Dutchman - and he was fuming with George Russell after an incident in Saturday's sprint race.
The reigning world champion was beaten to pole by Charles Leclerc in Friday's qualifying, before losing out to both Leclerc and Perez in the newly-introduced "Sprint Shootout" on Saturday.
This weekend's race in Baku sees the drivers trialling a new format for the divisive "F1 Sprint," with the event now separated from the full Grand Prix. A shortened qualifying session on Saturday set the grid order for a similarly shortened race later in the day, with Verstappen qualifying P3 ahead of George Russell.
Verstappen has been heavily critical of F1's new sprint format, and he will not have been endeared to it by what transpired in Saturday's 17-lap race, in which he came to blows with the Mercedes of Russell.
Lining up in P3, Verstappen was jumped by Russell at the start of the sprint race, with the pair going wheel to wheel through the first three turns.
Given the tight nature of the Baku street circuit, the walls present a constant danger and, on the outside of Russell, Verstappen was squeezed close to the wall at turns one and two, with the Mercedes clipping his rear wheel at the second corner. The contact caused significant damage to Verstappen's sidepod.
As they approached turn three, Russell made a decisive move to the inside, with Verstappen trying to hold it around the outside before tagging the wall with his rear right tyre.
A closer look at the tense encounter between Max and George on Lap 1! 👀 #AzerbaijanGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/C1JOnQ8uQ4
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 29, 2023
Despite eventually overtaking Russell for third place, Verstappen was fuming with the Brit post-race, calling him a "dickhead" in an animated rant at the Mercedes driver in parc fermé.
Verstappen and Russell clash in Baku F1 sprint race
After coming to blows on the opening lap of the sprint, Max Verstappen and George Russell approached each other in the pitlane post-race to address the contact.
Verstappen questioned what Russell had been thinking, before telling him to expect "the same" treatment in return the next time the pair go wheel-to-wheel.
"But expect the next time the same you know... Dickhead"
-Max Verstappen to George Russell after the race#AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/CEJoH6lKkY— Kimbula Bunis 🥐 (@PO5IT1VE) April 29, 2023
Russell: It's not on purpose mate - I've got no grip. I was just locking up.
Verstappen: Mate, we all have no grip. You need to leave a little bit of space.
Russell: Yeah, I know, I know. Well, watch the onboard.
Verstappen: Yeah, sure. And expect the next time the same, you know? Dickhead.
It was an unexpectedly hostile reaction, though Verstappen has been known to clash with drivers on occasion in the past.
Russell responded to Verstappen's criticism in his post-race interview, saying he was surprised at the Red Bull man's reaction. Russell was sure he had earned the right to be on the inside, saying:
I was really quite surprised. Ever since we're eight years old in go-karting, if you're on the inside at the apex of a corner, that's your corner. If you try and hold it on the outside, you're taking the risk.
I'm here to fight, I'm here to win. I'm not just going to wave him by because he's Max Verstappen in a Red Bull.
This is not the first time Russell has run into issues with a Red Bull, as contact with Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez sent him spinning out on lap one of last year's Austrian Grand Prix.
Perez would win out in Baku on Saturday ahead of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who will line up on pole for Sunday's full race. With Verstappen in P2 on the grid and Russell a disappointing P11, it is unlikely we'll see any more clashes between the pair on the streets tomorrow afternoon.
Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix gets underway at 12pm.
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