Horner fires Russell warning: Verstappen won't forget Baku sprint clash

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has warned George Russell that Max Verstappen "will remember and bank" their Azerbaijan Grand Prix Formula 1 sprint collision. On the opening lap, the fast-starting Russell made contact with Verstappen at Turn 2, but the World Champion took exception to further contact at Turn 3, complaining on the radio. The two exchanged tense words in parc ferme after the race, with Verstappen calling Russell a "d***head". And Horner feels that Verstappen - who had severe damage to the left-hand side of the RB19's sidepod - won't forget the incident in a hurry.

Horner on Verstappen vs Russell

"He was understandably annoyed with that - I think he voiced his opinion to George, and it was probably a good idea he left his crash helmet on," Horner explained to Sky Sports F1. "He's a competitive driver, and when you get damage to your car, and it affects your race. I'd be disappointed if he was happy with it. "[Verstappen] is like a elephant, he'll remember and bank that for a while. "He did a great job at the restart, and managed to pass George and then was able to hang onto Charles, but the tyres would overheat and with the damage he had, a balance shift was created. "We could hear from Milton Keynes the balance shift in the car, and it was obviously a pretty big handicap for him to manage."