Verstappen and Russell on the front row in Canada: drama guaranteed?

It all really started during the sprint race of the Azerbaijan GP in 2023. On the first lap, Russell made contract with the Dutchman into Turn 2. Verstappen briefly lost his position, but regained it after a safety car restart and finished third, with visible damage to his car.

In parc fermé, Verstappen went to confront the Mercedes driver, who said: "I had no grip."

To that, the Dutchman answered: "Mate, we all have no grip, you need to leave a bit of space," and then added: "expect the same next time, d*******"

Russell then called Verstappen's reaction 'pathetic' but emphasised that it was a normal battle and both could leave the incident behind them.

In 2024, towards the end of the year, things escalated between the two in Qatar. In Q3, Verstappen drove slowly causing Russell to swerve, and the Dutchman to receive a one-place grid penalty by the stewards.

The Dutchman explained Russell did everything to get him penalised, and said: "He's a backstabber. You shouldn't talk too much about people like that, because they're just losers."

In return, Russell did not sit next to Verstappen at the drivers' dinner in Abu Dhabi, and called him a 'bully'.

Immediately after the incident at the Spanish GP where George Russell collided with Max Verstappen, the two will share the front row of the grid at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

In Barcelona, Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his super license. Afterwards, the Red Bull reacted irritably with the media but later acknowledged his error via social media.

In Canada, two weeks after the Grand Prix of Spain, Russell secured pole position for Sunday's race. Verstappen was on provisional pole position, but the Mercedes driver was just faster. So, the Red Bull driver will start from P2.

After qualifying, Russell hinted not being afraid of Verstappen, and expects him to battle the same way into Turn 1. "I've got a few more points on my license to play with. Let's see," he also commented.

If Verstappen receives another penalty point, he will be banned from the Austrian Grand Prix.