F1 Azerbaijan GP: Toto Wolff brands Max Verstappen’s George Russell is a ‘di**head’ comment as a ‘good entertainment factor’

George Russell and Max Verstappen had a little bumpy first lap for which Max called the Brit a ‘dic*he**’

Max Verstappen and George Russell have been the talk of the town after their opening lap feud at the Baku Sprint race. The incident caught the attention of Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, who had commented on the exchange. “That’s nice,” he said when asked about the incident, calling it a “good entertainment factor.”

In a recent interview, Toto Wolff shed more light on his views regarding the feud. When asked about the media about Verstappen’s comments on George, the Austrian replied, “That’s nice” sarcastically, and stated, “ First of all, friendly exchanges between drivers is a good entertainment factor. So, irrelevant.” He then commented on the incident putting himself in both the drivers’ shoes “If I’m George, I’m doing exactly the same. If I’m Max, I’m upset,” said Wolff.

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The incident saw George Russell clipping the side pod of Max Verstappen, which ultimately led to him being squeezed out for third place. After a safety car restart, Verstappen retook the position, but his pursuit for second place, held by Charles, was hampered due to the damage to his side pod. The Dutchman was quite vocal about the incident, expressing his frustration on the radio and after the race.

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Toto Wolff understands the driver’s rants and applauds George Russell’s drive

Despite Verstappen’s outburst, Wolff empathized with him, stating, “They’re all upset when they lose. If you have your teammate winning and you finish third and you haven’t got performance in the car because you have a big hole, absolutely you’re upset.” Wolff also appreciated Verstappen’s authenticity, despite his being quite outspoken.

On the other hand, Wolff also praised Russell’s driving, calling it “dangerous” to overtake on the outside and acknowledging the difficulty of achieving the right angle on the inside. He stated, “I think it’s dangerous to overtake them at the outside because you could either end up in the run-off or you can end up in the wall, or you can have somebody on the inside that is weak and gives you all the space in the world. But on the inside, it’s quite an angle you need to achieve. If you try to turn around there tightly, you’re going to lose out on the next straight.”

Given Leclerc is out of contract, how good he is, do you have to consider him when he might be available?

Wolff: "I think nobody doubts Charles' ability. He's a good guy. The only time I talked with him was when we discussed where the gate is in Melbourne to board the plane."
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) April 29, 2023

The Verstappen-Russell feud has been a recent hot topic in F1 circles, with Toto Wolff providing insight into the incident. Despite the exchange being irrelevant to him, Wolff understands the frustration of both drivers and appreciates the entertainment factor of friendly exchanges between drivers.