George Russell and Max Verstappen put F1 rivalry aside at Brazilian Grand Prix

Verstappen and Russell after qualifying at Red Bull Ring — Photo: © IMAGO

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Russell and Verstappen put rivalry aside at Brazilian GP

Russell and Verstappen are fierce rivals

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 10 November 2025 10:57

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George Russell and Max Verstappen proved that old F1 wounds can heal as they put their differences aside to make Yuki Tsunoda appear as squished as possible in a kart - yes this actually happened.

Contemporary F1 is missing a good old fashioned-hate-your-guts-rivalry. The last time we saw two drivers duking it out for the title with some serious venom was Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen’s fight in 2021.

Since then fans have been deprived however, with Russell and Verstappen emerging as the strongest rivalry in recent years, with the pair embroiled in a infamous war of words during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix weekend.

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Phrases like ‘two-faced’ and ‘bully’ were bounced back-and-forth like padel balls as further resentment threatened to bubble onto the surface the next time they came to blows out on track.

Fans did not have to wait long however, with the pair coming together at the 2025 Spanish GP; but this time the two drivers refused to play out their rivalry in the media and by the following race weekend they reported no issue between them.

Russell and Verstappen: No longer rivals?

While no one expected Russell and Verstappen to ever be friends, the shared joy of a vintage kart race prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix put an unexpected smile on both of their faces.

Each driver pairing was given a vintage style kart in their team colours, with Yuki Tsunoda driving his team-mate Verstappen who perched on the edge of the impossibly small karts.

However, one clip showed that the pair had picked up a rival driver with Tsunoda accompanied by Verstappen and Russell on his left and right hand side.

Poor Tsunoda was squished in the middle, while Russell lounged on the side of the kart and clung on for dear life as Tsunoda steered them around the corner.

It seemed Russell and Verstappen had pushed their rivalry aside as they greeted the crowd, with a gleeful expression rare in the pre-race media circus.

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F1 Max Verstappen George Russell Brazilian Grand Prix