Max Verstappen done with Lewis Hamilton as new F1 arch nemesis emerges

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen done with Lewis Hamilton as new F1 arch nemesis emerges

Move over Lewis! There's a new F1 rivalry in town!

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 19 June 2025 20:57

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F1 is defined by its iconic and often dramatic rivalries. Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost. Michael Schumacher vs Damon Hill. Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg. Nicholas Latifi vs the wall.

Max Verstappen added his name to this illustrious list in 2021, when he went head-to-head with the seven-time world champion for his first ever world title, in a season of clashes, crashes and last lap dashes.

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Hamilton and Verstappen collided on several occasions, from Silverstone to Saudi, and when the Brit lost his eighth world title on the last lap in Abu Dhabi their continued rivalry threatened dominate the current era of F1.

Except...it didn’t.

In 2022, Mercedes were no longer competitive and Verstappen’s reign began, with Hamilton unable to fight for a win until Silverstone in 2024.

If Ferrari’s current form is anything to go by, Hamilton will not be in a position to fight Verstappen for a race win again in 2025, depriving us of a battle between champions that we are so hungry for after McLaren domination.

However, never fear! George Russell is here! Charging in on his *Norfolk Trotter as Verstappen’s number one nemesis in F1.

F1 Explained: Russell and Verstappen’s feud

Verstappen and Russell at the 2024 Italian GP

F1 fans first received a hint of discord between Russell and Verstappen after a simple impeding incident exploded into a full-on slanging match in the media at the 2024 Qatar GP.

Despite securing pole position, Verstappen found himself under investigation for driving too slowly in front of Russell on his cooldown lap and was given a one-place grid drop for impeding the Mercedes star, who was promoted to pole position.

However, Verstappen proceeded to slam Russell’s conduct in the stewards room, accusing the Brit of ‘screwing him over’ and labelling him ‘two-faced’.

Russell was quick to call out the irony of these comments however, and accused the champion of using violent language claiming that Verstappen threatened to 'put me on my f***ing head in the wall’.

The Mercedes star even evoked the name of dear Lewis, labelling Verstappen as a bully and continued: “You can’t question his driving ability but he cannot deal with adversity.

"When anything has gone against him – Jeddah ‘21, Brazil ’21 – he lashes out. Budapest this year, the very first race the car wasn’t dominant, crashing into Lewis, slamming his team.”

Meow!

Verstappen managed to have the last word however, calling Russell a ‘backstabber’ for sharing everything that was said ‘behind closed doors’.

Of course, with such a public feud, fans turned into body language experts on social media, and noticed that Verstappen and Russell were as far away from each other as possible at the end of year drivers meal in Abu Dhabi.

However, tensions appeared to have eased heading into the 2025 season. Was a more blissful relationship between Verstappen and Russell on the horizon? Could the champion and the head boy set aside their differences for a year of harmless sporting rivalry?

Nah! Of course not!

Russell and Verstappen collide in Barcelona!

Like a moth to a flame (or George Russell to a beige cardigan) Verstappen collided with his rival at the Spanish GP, although this time it was on purpose - the FIA said so!

The Dutchman received a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points for intentionally slamming into the side of Russell’s Mercedes, prompting a bewildered post-race interview from the Brit.

This time around less insults were bandied about, but Russell did say Verstappen was a bad example to children, to which the Red Bull star responded ‘I’ll bring some tissues next time’, which - I think - is actually quite thoughtful of him during hayfever season.

In the end, Verstappen did what Verstappen rarely does. Admitted blame. By the time they’d landed at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, they were back to being friends. Allegedly.

So, this is the last time we’re going to write about Russell and Verstappen’s feud, okay? Because, actually, it's really rather childish!

* = First popularised during Henry VIII's reign a Norfolk Trotter was once the most popular horse in England, but the breed has since disappeared. George Russell is from King's Lynn, Norfolk.

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes McLaren