Max Verstappen catches stray as F1 presenter roasts him with a savage George Russell dig

F1 teams and drivers, including Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, attended the special collective launch at the O2 Arena in London. This year is the 75th F1 season, and to celebrate the occasion, all 10 F1 teams and drivers gathered under the same roof for their livery reveal. The event, hosted by popular comedian Jack Whitehall, also included special performances by artists like MGK (formerly Machine Gun Kelly), Kane Brown, etc.

Max Verstappen - the reigning world champion was one of the first drivers introduced by Whitehall. The Dutchman has publicly called out such events, and Whitehall took a sarcastic dig at Verstappen's interest in attending the function.

He then went on to make a savage remark on his beef with Mercedes rival George Russell. He said:

"He (Max Verstappen) is so excited to be here right now. Some drivers just want to drive, not this guy."

He added:

"Cheer up Max, it could have been worse, we didn't seat you next to George Russell."

Whitehall then went on in search of Russell and asked if the pair had "kissed and made up yet" before admitting that he's "loving the beef".

He also stated:

"But seriously, how can anyone beef with George Russell? He's the nicest guy ever."

Verstappen and Russell were engaged in a fierce war of words towards the end of last season. The 4-time F1 champion called out Russell's double-faced personality after their incident in the Qatar Grand Prix.

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George Russell addresses his beef with Max Verstappen heading into the 2025 F1 season

George Russell and Max Verstappen after qualifying ahead of the Qatar GP - Source: Getty

It's a new year and F1 2025 season is just around the corner, but George Russell has not gotten over his public spat with Max Verstappen from last year. The Mercedes driver called Verstappen a "bully" in response to the Red Bull driver's comments.

The British driver was asked in the F1 press conference before the F175 event if he had tried to sort things out with his Red Bull rival.

Russell answered:

“I haven’t spoken [to Max Verstappen], [but there’s] no concerns about him or his driving or anything. That happened last year and I want to focus on myself. Obviously things I felt got out of line at the end of last year and I made it pretty clear that I’m not going to take it.”

George Russell will be the Mercedes leader for the first time this year after Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari. The Silver Arrows have been in turmoil, ever since the change in regulations in 2022. They have been fighting to win races during Red Bull's absolute domination which seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Hamilton's Mercedes tenure.

But with McLaren or Ferrari displacing Red Bull from the top spot last season, Mercedes will be hopeful of replicating the same form in last year of current rules and regulations. Additionally, it will also be important to see how Kimi Antonelli performs in his rookie season.

However, fans would be most eager to see if Mercedes can break into the top three of the constructors standings this year.