Max Verstappen's awkward response to George Russell question after Lando Norris wins Australian GP
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Max Verstappen joked that he still had a ‘shockingly bad’ relationship with George Russell after he was beaten by an inspired Lando Norris at the Australian Grand Prix.
After snatching pole, McLaren driver Norris successfully held off a late charge from Red Bull’s Verstappen in Melbourne to seal his fifth career victory.
The 25-year-old Briton momentarily lost his lead after pitting for intermediate tyres early on at the Albert Park Circuit but responded superbly to lay down a marker a thrilling opener to the Formula One calendar.
Verstappen, defending his title 2024 title, had to settle for second place, while Mercedes’ Russell held his nerve to secure the final podium position.
It proved a tough race for Ferrari debutant Lewis Hamilton, who finished way down the leaderboard in tenth place.
‘I think it's good compared to, let's say, the teams behind us,’ Verstappen said shortly after his second-place finish.
‘But, of course, if you look at the first stint, we were quite a bit off. As soon as the tyres started to overheat, we had no chance and yeah, basically, McLaren just took off.
‘So we still have a lot of work to do to fight for a win. But I'm very happy that we are second here. It's basically one place better than we should have been, and it's 18 more points than I had last year at this track.’
Verstappen’s frosty relationship Russell proved a key talking point in the back-end of last season after the pair clashed prior to December’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Russell branded Verstappen a ‘bully’ at the time and alleged that his rival had threatened to ‘put me on my f***ing head in the wall’ during a heated clash in the stewards’ room.
A ‘very disappointed’ Verstappen hit back by blaming Russell for the apparent role the Mercedes driver had played in him missing out on pole in Lusail and there has been no love lost between the duo in the intervening months.
The pair barely exchanged a glance as they watched back the key moments from this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in the cooldown room, separated by a victorious Norris.
And the awkward scenes continued as the trio faced the media shortly after, with Verstappen pressed for an update on his relationship with Russell.
‘No, it’s still shockingly bad,’ Verstappen joked when asked whether there had been any clear-the-air talks.
‘I mean… it’s all good, it’s all good,’ before Russell added: ‘What he said.’
A beaming Norris said he was pleased to fend off a ‘stressful’ late surge from Verstappen taking an early seven-point lead over the Dutchman at the top of the 2025 standings.
‘It was amazing. Tough race, especially with Max behind me,’ Norris told reporters.
‘I was pushing, especially in the last two laps. It was a little bit stressful, not going to lie.
‘This time we got it right and ended on top so I'm happy.’
Asked how he managed to stay calm during an explosive lap 57, featuring several crashes and safety car appearances, Norris added: ‘We got it wrong a lot last year so I guess we learn from our mistakes.
‘We lost out on Silverstone and Canada through a race like this, so we’ve learned from our mistakes.
‘It’s still only round one of 24, but dealing with the pressure, dealing with Max, dealing with Oscar behind me, I was pushing the whole way. I could relax inside but I wasn’t relaxing from how much I was pushing. A tough one.
‘To not make overly too many mistakes, to not have a mistake that cost me anything, I guess I can take a little bit of credit for that. A tough, challenging race but for McLaren, I need to give thanks because they have given me an amazing car.’
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