Richard Doornbos calls George Russell and Max Verstappen “childish” after Canada GP tension. Former F1 driver Richard Doornbos called Max Verstappen and George Russell "childish".

The opinion of the former driver
Max Verstappen and George Russell are not on the best of terms. The Dutch driver did not appreciate a contact during the Sprint race at the 2022 Azerbaijan GP, when the Mercedes driver tore a hole in the sidepod of the Red Bull car. The tipping point came in Qatar in 2024, when at the end of Qualifying, George Russell ‘secured’ pole position by having Verstappen demoted by one place for having impeded him during his flying lap attempt.

In Canada, under Safety Car conditions, George Russell braked suddenly and Max Verstappen momentarily overtook him in an attempt to react in time to the Mercedes driver’s unusual maneuver. Red Bull tried to have Russell penalized for an unnecessary move and unsporting behavior, given that Russell then complained over the radio, as did Max Verstappen, who did not hold back in his remarks about the rival.

The stewards did not penalize either George Russell or Max Verstappen—who was never under investigation for briefly overtaking Russell during the Safety Car period. Former driver Richard Doornbos, speaking on the Pit-the-Talk podcast, described the skirmishes between Russell and Verstappen as follows: “Childish, they look like footballers asking for a booking for the opponent,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s how it works in F1 now, because the FIA listens to all the team radios. Both are trying to gain advantages or put their opponent in difficulty simply through radio communications.”

According to Richard Doornbos, however, the rivalry between Max Verstappen and George Russell is still a ‘healthy’ one: “You don’t have to get along with everyone, everyone lives their own life. There’s still respect between the two because Max Verstappen acknowledges that George Russell is a fast driver, and he proved it again on Sunday by winning the race.” – he concluded.