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THEIR COLLISION AT THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX ON SUNDAY WAS CERTAINLY NOT THE FIRST MOMENT OF CONTROVERSY BETWEEN MAX VERSTAPPEN AND GEORGE RUSSELL, AS THEIR RELATIONSHIP CONTINUES TO WORSEN

15:54, 02 Jun 2025Updated 15:55, 02 Jun 2025 Whenever there is a spat in Formula 1 these days, more often than not it's the same two men at the centre of it. Max Verstappen is no

stranger to rubbing people up the wrong way but it's more surprising that George Russell, usually a more sedate, measured character, is the one who ends up clashing with the Dutchman

the most. They have known each other since they were children – both are 27, Verstappen 138 days older than his British rival. In 2012, they were both winners in the European Karting

Championship held in Lincolnshire. Last September, Russell posted a photo of them celebrating with each other as teenagers. But things have soured in recent years, particularly since Russell

stepped up to Mercedes and began to compete with Verstappen at the sharp end of the F1 grid. The first major clash came at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Russell punched a hole in the

sidepod of Verstappen's Red Bull during the Sprint race. The latter waited for Russell in the pit lane to confront him, leading to a tense argument on TV at the end of which the

Dutchman called his rival a "d***head". SIGN UP TO OUR FREE WEEKLY F1 NEWSLETTER, PIT LANE CHRONICLE, BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW SO THAT EVERY NEW EDITION LANDS STRAIGHT

IN YOUR INBOX! Article continues below But the real fireworks came last December, starting with a grid penalty for Verstappen at the Qatar Grand Prix after impeding Russell during

qualifying. He won the race anyway but was clearly still seething, telling reporters after the race that he had "never seen someone trying to screw me over that hard". It all

kicked off a week later in Abu Dhabi, the season finale, when Verstappen claimed Russell had "lied" to the Qatar stewards to get him penalised. That made the Brit snap – he and

boss Toto Wolff spent an entire media session in the Mercedes hospitality unit "setting the record straight". READ MORE: Max Verstappen is extraordinary and infuriating in equal

measure – we've seen this beforeREAD MORE: F1 star overshadowed by Max Verstappen did something not seen in six years at Spanish GP The highlight was Russell claiming that Verstappen

had threatened to "put my head in the f***ing wall". He also said: "I think [Verstappen] has been enabled because nobody stood up to him. Lewis [Hamilton] stood up to him in

2021 and Lewis lost that championship unfairly." Still, despite that history, he was surprised by Verstappen's petulance in Barcelona on Sunday. What the f***?" he asked over

the radio before telling Sky Sports afterwards that he had not expected his rival to pull a stunt like that. But the fact Verstappen was penalised and dropped to 10th, doing significant

damage to his own title chances, allowed Russell to take the moral high ground. "Ultimately, I came home in P4 and he came home in P10," he said pointedly. Article continues below

In modern F1, where driver relationships are more cordial than ever, what happens on track is usually quickly forgotten. The exception seems to be when it involves these two, with little

love lost there despite having known each other for half their lives. It's hardly a Senna vs Prost level rivalry but, if one day Verstappen and Russell end up being direct title rivals,

that could certainly change. Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn

more £43 £35 Sky Get Sky Sports here Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.

As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.