With a suspension hanging over his head, Max Verstappen will have to be more careful with his elbows in the Canadian Grand Prix. And the competition might be able to take advantage of that. “I won’t be giving him any more space, that’s for sure,” said George Russell clearly.
Let’s go back to the Spanish Grand Prix. On his hard tires, Max Verstappen was easy prey at the restart during aggressive overtakes by Charles Leclerc and George Russell. The Dutchman even retaliated briefly by driving into the Mercedes.
Though ahead of the Canadian GP, Russell made it clear he doesn’t believe the four-time world champion deliberately tried to ram him off the circuit.
“He just wanted to use his elbows and show who’s boss. He was wrong — Jos is the boss,” Russell joked, with a wink to “Jos the Boss,” the nickname of Verstappen’s father.
Verstappen has since admitted it was an “incorrect move,” but Russell doesn’t need an apology. “His actions cost him dearly and worked out in my favor, so I should almost thank him.”
“But it’s good that he took responsibility. That surprised me a bit. I think he just wanted to intimidate me and misjudged the situation.”
If Verstappen picks up one more penalty point in Canada, he will have to serve a race suspension. Will the Dutchman hold back? “I’ll definitely race the same way,” Russell warned. “I want to win. And I definitely won’t be giving him more space.”
