May 7, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) of Great Britain leads Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (1) of the Netherlands during the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

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“Surprised” George Russell Thinks Verstappen’s Race Ban “Wouldn’t be Unjust”!

George Russell isn't going to back down after his latest skirmish with Max Verstappen

As Formula 1 approaches the Canadian Grand Prix, two drivers are in the spotlight. George Russell and Max Verstappen will be the drivers to lookout for in Canada. The pair came together to collide after a safety car restart during the Spanish GP. Verstappen drove into Russell, frustrated for giving back the place. His actions dropped him to P10 giving George a P4 finish in Barcelona.

Since then, the stories are revolving around these drivers. Max Verstappen is one point away from getting a race ban. Meanwhile, his on-track dynamics with George Russell are getting worse. The rivalry between the two drivers got worse since 2024. After Verstappen’s apology post-race, things were supposed to calm down between him and Russell. However, the latest comments George Russell issued against Max Verstappen aren’t exactly a token of peace. Russell still seems to bitter about the incident as visible in his recent interview.

George Russell Didn’t Expect Max Verstappen to Take Accountability

While talking to the media recently, Russell answered the questions regarding his latest tussle. Russell thinks that Max Verstappen was not purposely trying to crash into him. He believes that the Dutchman wanted to push him off the track but misjudged the attack.

Nevertheless, Russell did approve of his manouver. Verstappen’s race ban is the latest danger looming above the world champion:s head and according to George Russell it is well deserved.

George Russell says that it was "good" that Max Verstappen took accountability for colliding with the Mercedes driver at the #SpanishGP. pic.twitter.com/jR5T77sxpa
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 12, 2025

“His actions cost him, and they benefited me. So, I should be almost thanking him. But it’s good to see that he took accountability, which I was a bit surprised. If he gets his 12 points, it wouldn’t be unjust, you know. So that’s literally why it’s there.”

As soon as the incident happened, Max Verstappen went forward to release an apology for the same. Although, he is yet to apologise to George. Max Verstappen is not going back down from racing hard. Even though, he is nearing a race ban, he is not going to change his driving style anytime soon.

While he is clearly determined to race as he wants, his team might have a different opinion. Red Bull Racing and Christian Horner were quick to disapprove of their driver after the incident. They don’t want Max Verstappen to miss a race and jeopardize the team’s standing in the constructor’s championship.

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.