George Russell pulled off a remarkable U-turn just hours after saying there was ‘no need’ to clear the air with Max Verstappen – labelling the world champion ‘pathetic’ and his behaviour ‘a bit poor’ following their bust-up in Baku on Saturday. The two drivers collided during the race weekend’s sprint with Russell’s Mercedes taking a chunk out of the Dutchman’s Red Bull within the first three corners. ‘It was all a little bit pathetic,’ Russell said, calling out Verstappen’s perceived hypocrisy. Making it clear he wished to move on, Russell added: ‘From my side, there was nothing really to say. We’re both drivers, we’ve both been in the sport a long time now and we have plenty of experience. The Red Bull driver has instead reserved most of his ire for the sprint format itself, which was introduced in Baku last race weekend.

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