"Let it go mate, this was last year. Bit pathetic by now": Fans react to George Russell's comments about being bullied by Max Verstappen

F1 fans have shared their frustration after Mercedes driver George Russell commented on his row with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and refused to get "bullied" by the Dutch driver. The British driver found himself in the Dutchman's crosshairs during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix when Verstappen accused him of playing up in front of the stewards to get him a penalty after qualifying.

Russell was left unimpressed by Verstappen's comments, deeming him a "bully" in a press conference in Abu Dhabi. Speaking with BBC ahead of the 2025 season, the 27-year-old once again chimed in on the topic:

"I wasn't going to just stand and be bullied around. People seem to always back down to him. And that's just not how I go about my business. It wasn't exactly purely because it's Max. If anybody would talk to me in that regard, on or off the track in Formula 1 or not, that is the approach I would take in that's the way I've been raised."

"I don't really have any approach with Max on or off track, because for me, it's just another racing driver. You know, we obviously had our disagreements at the end of last year. And, you know, that was a shame," George Russell added.

F1 fans reacted to Russell's latest comments on Verstappen on X, one saying:

"Let it go, mate, this was last year. Bit pathetic by now. I don’t see Max talking about you all the time... Seems like you need this to get attention. Better step it up on the driving front, that’s the attention you should want."

"George has never even come close to challenging Max for the driver's world championship to be even considered a rival. Let your driving do the talking for once George."

"Lol, he is ONLY doing this because he knows that he would 100% be replaced by Max if he decided to sign with Mercedes! George is expendable, Max is Not!" another said.

Here are more reactions to George Russell's comments.

"This is such a one sided beef oml," a fan said.

"Oh my god he is desperate to keep this going while Max literally doesn't think about him for 1 second. Hilarious insecurity," another wrote.

"It's been 3 months...We get it, the highlight of your career is beefing with Max but it's really getting old now!" a third tweeted.

The three-time F1 race winner's alleged behavior in the stewards' room seemingly worked as the four-time F1 world champion was given a one-place penalty which demoted him to P2 behind the Mercedes driver.

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George Russell previews the 2025 season after pre-season testing

As quoted by the above source, Mercedes driver George Russell has said he believes no team other than McLaren has the outright edge at the start of the 2025 season.

"I don't think either of us right now have a car that potentially is capable of beating the McLaren. McLaren, without doubt, looks by far the strongest. Especially their race pace looks pretty impressive," George Russell said.

The British team certainly looked the fastest during the pre-season testing in Bahrain last week while Mercedes in Russell's hands looked competitive with Ferrari and Red Bull.