GEORGE RUSSELL has “no intention” of burying the hatchet with Max Verstappen following their explosive row last season.
The pair went to war in last year’s finale in Abu Dhabi, with the British 27-year-old claiming Verstappen threatened to put his “f***ing head in the wall” by deliberately crashing into him at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Four-time world champ Verstappen was branded a “bully” by Russell — with the Dutchman hitting back by labelling the Brit a “backstabber” and “loser” after he won the race, with his Mercedes rival trailing in fourth.
Russell — speaking at Tuesday night’s F1 75 event to celebrate the sport’s 75th anniversary at London’s O2 Arena — said he and the Red Bull driver “hadn’t spoken” over the winter.
He added: “I’ve got no intentions to, to be honest.
“That happened last year. I want to focus on myself.
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“Things got out of line last year. We are not going to go back to being best mates, that’s for sure. I have no concerns about him or his driving.
“I made it pretty clear I’m not going to take it.
“But now it’s 2025 and I’m focused on the job and the job is to win.
“So I’m not going to change my approach, fighting him or fighting any other drivers. The goal is the same.”
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And Verstappen admitted he will put the issue to one side. He said: “I have no intention to continue any beef in February.”
Meanwhile, the Dutchman laid into the FIA for their new extreme swearing rules for the upcoming campaign, urging them to focus on more important issues.
Fines will range from £34,000 to £152k, while Championship points can be docked and race bans handed out for repeat offenders.
In Singapore last year, Verstappen was ordered by FIA stewards to complete community work after dropping the F-bomb to describe his car.
The 27-year-old said: “If you look at everyone’s reaction to it, that says enough.
“In the heat of the moment when you get interviewed in your car, sometimes things slip out.
“We grew up playing sports, it happens, you use a swear word.
“We shouldn’t take it so seriously. I’m also not going to tell them how to behave in life.
“You need to use a bit of common sense and, besides that, I prefer we actually focus on other topics — to try to improve safety, try to improve the overall performance of Formula One cars — instead of actually having to focus on all these kind of things.”
Meanwhile, British McLaren driver Lando Norris says his team have “no excuses” if they are not competing at the front of the grid right from the off this season.
McLaren won their first constructors’ championship since 1998 last year but Norris was runner-up to Verstappen, 63 points adrift in the drivers’ standings.
Red Bull had dominated the first five races which ultimately left Norris with a mountain to climb.
With the countdown to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16 underway, he said: “After last year we have no excuses, I guess.
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“In the past we’ve had our fair share but honest and true excuses.
“This year we don’t have any, we have nothing to hide behind.
“We proved last year we have everything we need and everything it takes to fight at the top and be the best.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
