George Russell and Max Verstappen's rivalry has been called 'concerning' as they prepare to lock horns again on Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix.
Last season ended in controversy after a fiery exchange between Russell and Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Problems mounted when Verstappen was handed a grid penalty in Qatar and the reigning champion blamed Russell for trying to influence the stewards, which saw him angrily say he "lost all respect" for the Mercedes star and that he’d “never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard.”
Russell furiously hit back at the Red Bull man and said he could not handle criticism and tensions have been simmering ever since in the build-up to the new season.
George Russell has spoken out on his feud with Max VerstappenPAThis week, Russell said: “I wasn’t going to just stand and be bullied around.
“People seem to always back down to him. And that’s just not how I go about my business.
“I’m not there to be best mates with a world champion. I’m here to win. And that’s his mentality as well.
"There’s no love lost. I’ve never been scared to race against Max. I’ve always put up a fight.”
And while neutral fans are looking forward to a battle on the grid between the two drivers, F1 analyst Mark Gallagher insisted more respect should be shown between them.
Speaking to Betway, Gallagher said: "I think the rivalry is slightly concerning because we need all of the drivers to respect each other definitely on track but preferably also off track.
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"They don’t have to be best mates, but it is good if the rivalry is a respectful one.
"When there is a fallout, we have seen over the years, it is not a generally good thing because people drive with their heart rather than their head.
"Hopefully, on track they will give each other the space and the respect to race because otherwise if they are driving and there are fireworks then that is dangerous and will get in the way of what the teams want them to do.
"I think it has slightly been blown out of proportion by George, and he feels aggrieved, I understand that but it is important to put it into perspective that Max is a four times world champion and George is just as deserving of respect from Max."
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George Russell insists he is ready to step up and be the main man for Mercedes
ReutersRussell has stepped up as team leader at Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton's departure to Ferrari while Verstappen is looking to make it five World Championships out of five.
Gallagher continued: "In terms of George, it is a big year for him. Lewis has left and George is the number one driver in the team.
"He has a very young and experienced driver alongside him in Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George needs to stamp his authority on the team now he has that number one status."
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The Australian Grand Prix is set to get underway at 4am on Sunday morning.
