Victim of a frustrating engine failure at the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell was also the target of a jab from Red Bull on social media, in a wink clearly referencing his conflict with Max Verstappen.
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The rivalry between George Russell and Max Verstappen resurfaced in an unexpected way after the Canadian Grand Prix. Victim of a sudden engine failure on his Mercedes while he was at the front in Montreal, Russell left the race in a mix of confusion and frustration, a reaction immediately shared on social media.
The English driver was engaged in an intense battle with the eventual winner Kimi Antonelli when his W17 abruptly stopped on lap 30, following a failure of the Mercedes engine. Remaining motionless in his cockpit for a few moments, visibly stunned, Russell eventually threw his headrest before the marshals intervened to evacuate the car.
The scene quickly circulated on X, where a user shared an image of the Mercedes stopped at the side of the track with the mocking caption: “George throwing the headrest is taking me outttt” (“George throwing his headrest, it’s too funny”).
Russell at the center of a Red Bull wink to Verstappen
It was then that the Red Bull account chose to respond with a comment as brief as it was calculated: “Borderline something something” (“Borderline… well, you get the idea”).
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A phrase far from innocent. It seems to directly echo the tensions that had opposed Russell to Verstappen at the end of 2024 after the Qatar Grand Prix qualifying.
At the time, Verstappen had received a one-place grid penalty for needlessly slowing down in front of Russell. The exchanges then heated up between the two drivers, notably in the stewards’ office, with the Dutchman accusing Russell of trying to provoke his penalty.
A few days later, Russell publicly accused Verstappen of threatening to “deliberately hit me and slam my head against the wall”. Then, in Abu Dhabi, the Briton toughened his tone by stating that the four-time World Champion was reacting with “unnecessary” anger and an attitude “close to violence” — borderline violence in English.
The comment posted by Red Bull thus appears as a direct reference to this phrase that became emblematic of their conflict, proof that tensions between the two camps remain strong enough to still fuel social media several months later.
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