George Russell surprised by Max Verstappen’s apology: “Maybe he just wanted to intimidate me”. George Russell reacts to Max Verstappen’s surprise apology after their clash in Spain.

George Russell commented with some surprise on Max Verstappen’s recent apology for the contact between the two during the Spanish Grand Prix, when, with three laps to go, the world champion came under investigation and was handed a 10-second penalty for an aggressive move in Barcelona.

The Mercedes driver had initially described the incident as a “deliberate” move, but in Montreal he partially revised his stance, especially after seeing Verstappen’s Instagram post in which the Dutchman took responsibility for the error.

Russell: “Surprising to see Verstappen admit fault”

“I was a bit surprised to see him take responsibility, it’s not like him,” said George Russell to the media in Canada. “We also ran into each other at the airport a few days ago, but we didn’t talk about it. He was with his family and his newborn, we were talking about that. He was busy folding the stroller to get it through the security scanner.”

The Briton then added: “There’s nothing for me to say. If he had taken me out of the race, it would have been different. I think he was just trying to show who’s boss. But in the end, his actions helped me and cost him, so I should thank him.”

Max Verstappen’s post on social media came several days after the incident: “We had a good race until the safety car. The tyre choice and a few moves after the restart increased my frustration, leading to a move that shouldn’t have happened.”

George Russell, reflecting on the episode, explained: “I want to believe he didn’t try to hit me on purpose, that would be crazy. He just wanted to show who’s in charge, but he miscalculated.” With the penalty received, Max Verstappen is now just one point away from an automatic race ban due to the accumulation of points on his super licence. George Russell joked: “Knowing him, maybe he’ll drive even more aggressively so he can enjoy a weekend off at home.” – the Mercedes driver concluded.

Tension remains high, but the Barcelona incident seems, for now, to have been filed away with a mix of sportsmanship and a few sharp jokes. All eyes are now on the Canadian GP, where Max Verstappen will need to keep his cool to avoid further penalties.