Who would have thought a simple 17-lap sprint in Baku would cause so much drama? But then again, of course, it was Baku, so it wasn’t going to disappoint the fans in any way despite the lack of action on the track. Apart from the coming together of long-time rivals, i.e., drivers from Red Bull and Mercedes, all the action took place off the track as Max Verstappen and George Russell had repeated heated exchanges of words following the race.

Max, on the one hand, after meeting up with Russell and calling him “d**khead”, warned him of future repercussions as he sustained sidepod damage. On the other hand, George Russell stood his ground and justified his action, saying the tires were cold as the incident took place on the opening lap. Nevertheless, all of it took place when the adrenaline was high, and the real statements, when they had calmed down, didn’t come out until much later.

Later on, both drivers tried to clear their stance. But surprisingly, Max had a shift in tone after the dust settled down. In what sounded like a statement of forgiveness to Russell, he, as quoted by Sky Sports, said, “[In his position] I would try to fight but not run into someone because that’s not what you want to do. That’s something you maybe learn over time. I had my moments as well when I first started in Formula 1 where you make some silly mistakes – a lock-up or potential damage. Maybe it’s just part of the learning curve.”

“I Don’t Understand Why…”: Max Verstappen Rejects George Russell’s “Beautiful” Explanation With a Scathing Remark

Looking back on his own mistakes and incidents, the Dutchman gave Russell the benefit of the doubt. For now, though, one thing is for sure, and that is that at this moment, potentially a longtime rivalry has started between the two, and we are all here for it.

George Russell justifies his move on Max Verstappen

Due to the heated debate, both drivers issued several statements clarifying their stances. The outcome of which still remains the same, though, as none of them is ready to back down on their claims, but they have certainly gotten softer than their respective initial strikes.

Assessing his move and the result of the clash, Russell was quoted as saying, “He’s got enough experience to know that if you’re trying to overtake around the outside, there’s a chance the guy on the inside will run wide into you. I don’t think anything would have been different if the positions were reversed.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Bromance moments between Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton

Both drivers now head to the main race with plenty of time between them. To see more drama and action between the two, we’ll perhaps have to wait a bit longer than this Sunday.