Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg has come to the defense of George Russell’s controversial move against Max Verstappen during the Canadian Grand Prix, labeling the Red Bull driver as “cheeky” for his on-track behavior.
Russell, leading the race ahead of Verstappen, applied the brakes abruptly behind the safety car, causing a stir in the paddock. Red Bull filed a protest against Russell’s actions, claiming unsportsmanlike conduct, but the stewards ruled in favor of the British driver.
Rosberg, providing insights from a driver’s perspective, emphasized the psychological games drivers play on track. He highlighted how unsettling it can be when a competitor like Verstappen tries to intimidate by positioning his car aggressively in the mirrors of his rival, leading to a retaliatory move by Russell.
The German driver explained, “When you’re behind a safety car and you see Max Verstappen being cheeky and trying to make you nervous by making himself really big right next to you in that mirror, you don’t like that. It really annoys you as a driver, like deeply, deeply annoys you. From there, it’s quite natural to say: ‘You know what? Take this, you sucker.’ So yes, he did want to hit the brakes and give one back to Max there.”
Rosberg also hinted at a potential influence from Verstappen in Red Bull’s decision to appeal the race result, suggesting that the Dutch driver may have been seeking a penalty for Russell. He speculated, “Max got angry that George hit the brakes and tried to get him into a penalty situation. So Max was like ‘I’m not having that’. Let’s ask his team to appeal to try and get him into George in trouble.”
The intense rivalry between Russell and Verstappen adds a new layer of excitement to the F1 season, with mind games and strategic maneuvers becoming a prominent feature of their battles on the track.
In a thrilling Canadian Grand Prix marred by Red Bull’s rejected protest and a dramatic intra-team collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the controversy surrounding Russell and Verstappen’s clash takes center stage in the post-race discussions.
