"Ego is hurt" - Hilarious exchange between George Russell and Max Verstappen ahead of F1 Dutch GP

George Russell recently spoke about how he indulged himself in various adventurous water sports during the summer break. When Russell was asked about any injuries sustained during these activities, Max Verstappen humorously replied with a cheeky comment.

Speaking at the drivers' press conference ahead of the 2023 F1 Dutch GP, the Mercedes driver explained how he usually does not take part in certain activities since they can be injury-prone, but this year he enjoyed some of them. He said:

"It was good to sort of branch out and do some of these things. I think historically, I'd never really wanted to do any additional sports especially in the season in case of injury. But I felt like, I wanted to try something new and keep my senses alive, you know, try the foiling and few injuries along the way. But it's fully recovered now and looking forward to the weekend."

When Tom Clarkson, the moderator of the press conference, asked what injuries Russell was talking about, Max Verstappen interjected and humorously stated how Russell's ego was hurt. The Red Bull driver said:

"Ego is hurt!"

The press conference room had a light laugh, after which George Russell continued and stated how there are several videos of him falling off that he has not posted anywhere:

"There are a lot of videos I did not post of falling of big time. So, no it was...I really enjoyed it to be honest."

You can watch the full interaction here:

During the three-week break from racing, almost every driver, including Russell, enjoyed quite a lot in order to recharge for the rest of the F1 season. George Russell was seen participating in many water-related activities, like fly-boarding, jet skiing, etc.

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George Russell lagging behind Lewis Hamilton in 2023, feels F1 pundit

F1 pundit Peter Windsor, meanwhile, recently spoke about how George Russell has not been able to compete at Lewis Hamilton's level in the 2023 F1 season. He stated that Russell has not been able to give Hamilton a challenge like he did in 2022.

Furthermore, he speculated that the seven-time world champion must be feeling more confident because there is no pressure from his teammate.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Windsor said:

"Everything was kind of very nice over the radio, and everything was classic George, but he just doesn’t look like the George that’s been giving Lewis so much trouble certainly at the start of the year and last year. Lewis must be feeling more confident now as a result of that."

George Russell is currently sixth with 99 points, while Lewis Hamilton is in fourth place with 148 points.