Max Verstappen furious after brazen George Russell damages his Red Bull in Baku

It wasn't the afternoon Max Verstappen was hoping for when he lined up for the first Sprint Race of the 2023 Formula 1 season in Azerbaijan.

The Red Bull driver, starting third behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, was immediately under pressure from Mercedes' George Russell in fourth.

On the first of 17 laps, Russell got his elbows out, making contact with Verstappen's car. The touch at Turn 2 led to the Red Bull incurring side pod and floor damage, impacting the driver's pace throughout the race.

The damage on Max's car is huge ??Remarkable he was able to finish in P3 ??#AzerbaijanGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/bwL3oEwZXh

'Don't understand'

Verstappen finished the race five seconds behind Perez, who had passed Leclerc for the lead. Expectedly, Verstappen was not a happy camper and was visibly upset and conversing with Russell over what had happened.

Russell had no intention to engage with his rival, instead brushing the hit off as a racing incident.

"I just don't understand why you need to take so much risk into Lap 1, understeering into my car. It is what it is. There's a hole in my side pod; it doesn't look great," Verstappen said after the 17-lap race.

Verstappen's concerns weren't necessarily about Russell driving into him, but him attacking aggressively on cold tyres. Russell had no reason to have gone so hot on the opening lap, mainly because he is not in championship contention, no matter where he finishes.

Russell acted brazenly and could have impacted Verstappen's race and the defending champion's championship chances - regardless of how small an impact.