"There there, kiss and make up": F1 legend reacts to Max Verstappen burying the hatchet with George Russell
Former F1 world champion Damon Hill was pleased to see that Max Verstappen attempted to bury the hatchet with George Russell. The two F1 drivers have been involved in a war of words over the last two races, starting in Qatar last weekend.
The Red Bull driver had called out the British driver for his behavior in the steward's room after the qualifying session and claimed that he "lost all respect" for the latter owing to his antics.
The Mercedes driver gave an elaborate response to Verstappen's comments and termed the four-time F1 world as a "bully" while also claiming that he made the situation personal.
However, ahead of the qualifying session, Verstappen hinted to the media that he was optimistic that his issues with George Russell would be resolved in due time, saying (via Motorsport.com):
"Of course we have arguments, but we’ll fix it. A little break is good; we’ll see each other in Monaco, you know? It's all going to work out again."
Hill, the 1996 world champion, took to his Instagram Stories to share Verstappen's recent comments and said:
"There there, kiss and make up."
Max Verstappen and George Russell give their takes on their recent war of words
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is confident that he and George Russell would sort out their differences in due time.
Speaking with the media, the Dutch driver spoke about the GPDA dinner ahead of the qualifying session and claimed that he and the Brit did not speak, saying (via Crash.net):
“We had a lot of fun. I mean, you can't speak to everyone on the table. I haven't really talked to him. Honestly, I also don't want to really talk about it anymore, because it's not really necessary anymore. Everything has been said, really. I'm just looking forward to the break.”
He further told Sky Sports:
"In the GPDA, we can have our disagreements but we are always fighting for the same cause in the end. It will be fine. We have our disagreements now. I think it's important we all go on holiday now and spend some time with family and friends. We just go at it again next year. It will sort itself out."
Russell was also not fussed about their tiff and believed that their comments got "more airtime than it deserved," adding:
"I'm not even thinking about it. We have got bigger and better things to be worried about, which is racing, which is far more interesting. It probably got a bit more airtime than deserved."
Verstappen qualified P5 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix while Russell could only manage a P7 but both drivers will gain a place for the main race due to Niko Hulkenberg's three-place grid penalty.