Max Verstappen jumped at the chance to make fun of George Russell by joking about his competitor in Formula 1 who enjoys taking off his top.
Russell’s numerous bare-chested photos that he has shared on social media have led to the development of an image that he is always shirtless. Fans frequently make fun of Russell for the habit, and a number of his other drivers have made fun of it as well.
Verstappen is the latest to have a laugh at the Brit’s expense. In a video circulating on social media, the Red Bull racer was asked about several of his fellow drivers and what they would do if they had their own channels on streaming platform Twitch, which the Dutchman regularly uses for his sim racing.
And when Russell’s name came up, he didn’t hesitate before offering his opinion on what the Mercedes driver could do. “Some singing,” he laughed. “So he could dress up really nice and then, during the singing, he goes top off.”
Verstappen then joked that Russell could name the channel: “Mr Shirtless,” prompting a big laugh from the interviewer. It is a reference to Russell’s ‘Mr Saturday’ nickname, which he has earned with a string of impressive qualifying performances throughout his F1 career.
Verstappen and Russell are good friends, thanks to being of a similar age and having known each other for many years. Though they have had their tense moments – most notably squaring up to one another after a bad-tempered Sprint race in Baku last year – their relationship remains strong.
That has been demonstrated by Russell backing his Red Bull rival in his row with the FIA over swearing in a press conference. Verstappen was given a community service-style punishment and responded by refusing to give proper answers to questions the next time he appeared in an official FIA media gathering.
Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, conceded that it is not necessary to use foul language in a media session. But he called for the FIA to understand that drivers let out “raw emotion” while behind the wheel of an F1 car, in response to president Mohammed ben Sulayem’s call for racers to stop swearing over the radio.
The Brit said: “We definitely don’t want to take the raw emotion away from the drivers. I think that’s key in our sport. Maybe, in a press conference, there’s merit in saying we need to keep our words clean. But for sure, on the radio, you want to be able to express yourself as you desire.”
GDPA chairman Alex Wurz pointed out the hypocrisy of the sport asking drivers to stop swearing as he said:
“How many lifetime community services would Guenther Steiner have to serve for using the F-word? He was glorified for using the F-word. Netflix broadcasts this worldwide, no problem.”
