Untelevised Max Verstappen gesture emerges after Russell encounter

Max Verstappen appeared to show George Russell the middle finger when passing the Mercedes on Friday at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The clip has since gone viral on social media, after what was a challenging Friday practice day for both drivers at the Red Bull Ring.

Max Verstappen appears to show George Russell middle finger

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After a frustrating start to FP1, his Red Bull RB22 struggling to make it beyond the pit lane, Verstappen rebounded to end the opening hour of practice in P4. He repeated that result in FP2, though the gap to pacesetter Kimi Antonelli grew to half a second.

Complaining in the early stages of FP2 about a “completely different” seat position compared to FP1, it would appear that Verstappen also had some frustration to direct the way of Russell.

In a clip circulating online, Verstappen can be seen overtaking a Mercedes W17, identifiable as Russell by the Brit’s helmet colours.

As Verstappen passes Russell through Turn 7, the Dutchman’s onboard shows him removing his left hand from the steering wheel, and appearing to show a middle finger in the direction of Russell.

The motive is unconfirmed, but logically, Verstappen may have felt as though he was impeded by Russell’s Mercedes.

Verstappen and Russell are no strangers to a bit of needle out on track. Verstappen has also recently been linked with a Mercedes seat once more, at a time where Russell is trying to work his way back into title contention against teammate Antonelli.

Verstappen, it has been widely reported, has a performance-related exit clause in his Red Bull contract. Currently P7 in the Drivers’ standings, Verstappen is a key puzzle piece in the latest F1 silly season.

Verstappen has, though, expressed a desire to see out his Formula 1 career with Red Bull, as the Austrian squad looks to convince Verstappen that it can return to form.

Russell, in Austria, gave a clear update on his future with Mercedes.

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“No announcement this weekend, but I’ll be racing here [Mercedes] next year. One hundred per cent,” Russell is widely quoted as having said.

“It hasn’t even been discussed [with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff]. We don’t need to discuss it. It’s not even a question mark. I don’t want to go into any more detail, but I will be here next year and that’s the fact of it.”

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