Tensions between Max Verstappen and George Russell rose in late 2024, and the Mercedes driver says he won't back down.

Mercedes ace George Russell is ready to resume his on-track rivalry with Max Verstappen in 2025, and promises that he won't back down from a fight.

I’m not there to be best mates with a world champion. I’m here to win. And that’s his mentality as well. There’s no love lost.”

George Russell and Max Verstappen are the latest Formula 1 drivers to engage in a fierce war of words - and it feels like battle lines have been drawn for a rivalry that’s set to run and run. So what caused Russell to call out Verstappen so publicly,

The duo clashed off the racetrack during the final two rounds of the 2024 season. Verstappen was unimpressed with the Brit’s approach to a post-qualifying stewards’ meeting, calling him ‘two-faced’ and a ‘loser’. Russell then hit back in Abu Dhabi, labelling the Red Bull driver a ‘bully’ who ‘cannot handle adversity’.

Mercedes F1 star George Russell has shot back at Max Verstappen in a fresh set of statements following their latest war of words. Heading into the 2025 season, the Briton has been determined to step up even more with his game,