George Russell won’t “jeopardise” his Canadian Grand Prix chances to engage in a squabble with Max Verstappen, despite his rival being one penalty point away from a Formula 1 race ban.
The Mercedes will line up on pole position, after snatching top spot with what he described as “one of the most exhilarating” laps of his career, with Verstappen alongside him in second.
The Red Bull driver has amassed 11 penalty points on his superlicence over the course of the last year, the last three coming after his controversial clash with Russell last time out in Spain.
Verstappen has been frank in his irritation at the rehashing of the subject, telling media yesterday that he was “pissed off” with the “childish” questions around it.
Many have speculated whether any drivers around Verstappen would be willing, or tempted, to alter their racecraft in order to heighten the likelihood of Verstappen incurring a point.
After qualifying, Russell cheekily retorted, when asked about the prospect of lining up alongside him, said: “I’ve got a few more points in my licence to play with, so let’s see”.
But when speaking seriously, the Briton quashed any such notion, despite the recent history between the pair.
“I mean, I don’t think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on your licence,” Russell told media including Motorsport Week.
“Max is one of the best drivers. There’s no reason for him to race any differently, and I’m not sitting here thinking he’s going to give us more room, if anything, probably the opposite, to try and prove a point.
“So I’ll be keeping an eye, but ultimately we’re all here to win, and you’re not going to do something that’s going to jeopardise yourself from the race.
“It’s a busy season as well, and if you get a race ban, you get a race ban and you spend some time at home, it’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world.”
Piastri will ‘race as I always race’
The stark reality of Verstappen and Russell lining up together one race after their Spain collision is akin to something out of the script of F1: The Movie.
But with Russell insisting no Hollywood-style sparks will fly, title leader Oscar Piastri is equally nonplussed about the idea of changing his driving style to increase the likelihood of Verstappen incurring the all-crucial 12th point.
For Piastri, the thought process is just the same as Russell’s, and his way of competing will not change in any way.
“I mean, I think for me I’m not going to race any differently,” he said. “You know, I’m not going to take any less risk, any more risk,” the Australian said.
“Yeah, I’m certainly not going to do anything different. So I’ll race as I always race.”
READ MORE – George Russell: F1 race ban for Max Verstappen ‘wouldn’t be unjust’ after ‘reckless’ driving
