Why was Max Verstappen furious with George Russell after the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP sprint?

It was a fascinating start to the Sprint race as Max Verstappen and George Russell tangled with each other in the opening few laps at the Baku City Circuit.

The Mercedes driver, who started in P4 for the Sprint race, had an excellent start from the line and found himself battling the Dutch driver. After going wheel-to-wheel in the first couple of corners, Russell made contact with Verstappen's sidepods.

The world champion had to relinquish P3 heading into the tight and twisty sector two. But he got past the Mercedes driver at the safety car restart as he perfectly executed the move into Turn 1. Max Verstappen was visibly annoyed with Russell and had some choice words for the Brit in the Parc Ferme after the Sprint Race.

George:

"I had no grip."

Max:

"Mate, we all have no grip. We all need to give a little bit of space."

George:

"I know, I know."

Max:

"But expect it next time the same, you know. D***head."

The reigning world champion was not entirely happy with Russell. He continued to make comments about the Brit in his post-race interview and also explained how the incident damaged his car.

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"I was surprised that he was so angry" - George Russell on Max Verstappen

In his post-race interview, George Russell explained that he was not going to hold back from the incident. He stated that he was 'surpised' by Max Verstappen's angry reaction to the incident as the latter finished the Sprint race in P3 after he overtook him.

He said:

"I was down the inside and I think, as a driver you know the risks when you're on the outside... I am not going to hold back because he's leading the championship. I was surprised he was holding it on the outside, he has a lot more to lose than I have. I was surprised he was resisting the position."

He added:

"Nothing more to say on it. I was surprised that he was so angry, he still finished the race in P3. If you're trying to overtake a guy on the outside, there's a risk the guy on the inside is going to run into you. I don't think it would have been any different had the positions been reversed."

It would be interesting to see if Max Verstappen has any further comments to make about the incident in the post-Sprint press conference.