Max Verstappen referred to as George Russell a “d—head” after they collided on the opening lap of the dash race on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen was fuming after the Mercedes driver barged previous him on the within at Flip 2, with the contact virtually placing the championship chief within the wall. Cameras later revealed the collision had taken a piece out of the sidepod of Verstappen’s automobile.

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Verstappen was repeatedly broadcast complaining in regards to the transfer to Crimson Bull over the radio, at one level saying: “Did he actually drive into the facet of my automobile? I do not understand how he can harm my automobile and nonetheless hold place.”

When Verstappen handed Russell later within the race, his race engineer commented that he did so cleanly.

“Yeah, I understand how to try this,” Verstappen replied curtly.

After the dash race was completed Russell went over to Verstappen.

“I did not do it on goal, mate,” Russell mentioned. “I had no grip. I simply locked up.”

“All of us haven’t any grip!” Verstappen replied. “All of us want to go away a little bit little bit of house.”

As Russell walked away, Verstappen referred to as after him and mentioned: “Effectively subsequent time, anticipate the identical. D—head.”

Russell defended his transfer after the race and mentioned the result would have been the identical if their roles had been reversed.

“I used to be stunned why he was so indignant, to be sincere,” Russell mentioned. “He nonetheless completed the race in P3, it is a troublesome scenario, he is received sufficient expertise to know that when you’re attempting to overhaul a man on the skin there is a threat that the man on the within goes to run broad into you and I do not suppose something would have been any completely different within the positions had been reversed. So, anyway… all of us continue to exist.”

On the transfer itself, Russell mentioned he was stunned Verstappen had defended so exhausting.

“I used to be down the within and as a driver you already know the danger is when you’re on the skin. I am there to win and I am not going to carry again simply because he’s main the championship. I used to be fairly stunned he was nonetheless attempting to carry it across the outdoors, it is a road circuit, he is received much more to lose than I’ve. Not one of the contact was intentional, I used to be doing my greatest to have a clear battle, however I used to be fairly stunned that he was sort of resistant. I used to be on the within.”

Verstappen was nonetheless venting about Russell’s transfer and their post-race confrontation when he spoke afterwards.

“All of us wrestle with grip,” Verstappen advised Sky Sports activities. “All of us have chilly tyres, it is all simple to lock up however in his lovely manner of explaining, ‘aw mate, locked up, have a look at the onboard [camera]’, it would not make sense. Nevertheless it’s superb, we nonetheless received into P3, received some good factors however it’s what it’s.”

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso later urged he may perceive Verstappen’s frustration on the transfer.

“I did not see that incident. I wasn’t shut sufficient to evaluate it. However I noticed the sidepod of the automobile now…

“I feel the foundations are clear: in case you are side-by-side you can not go to that facet that the automobile is and squeeze him to the wall till he lifts off. So I do not suppose we’d like something [changes to the rules], we simply must police it correctly.”