F1 fans all say one thing after ‘crybaby’ Max Verstappen’s incident with George Russell in Austria

Follow us on Google Discover

F1 fans have called Max Verstappen out for acting “like a child”, after the Red Bull ace showed George Russell the middle finger during FP2 at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix.

Red Bull have hit their home track with a raft of updates for the RB22, but the new parts did not help Verstappen in practice this Friday. The 28-year-old finished the day with the fourth-fastest time, but his 1:07.564 was 0.550 seconds off the pace that Andrea Kimi Antonelli set.

Antonelli topped FP2 at the Austrian GP with a quickest lap time of 1:07.014, enough for the Mercedes driver to lead McLaren stars Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by 0.237s and 0.325s. The best that Russell could manage was a time of 1:07.637 for P6 in FP2 at the Red Bull Ring.

Where would Max Verstappen and Lando Norris rank among McLaren’s greatest line-ups?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

F1 fans slam Max Verstappen for showing George Russell the middle finger in Austria

Both Red Bull drivers raised the same issue about their cars during the second free practice session. Isack Hadjar and Verstappen lamented Red Bull’s engine driveability at Turn 3, with the pair lamenting the car’s behaviour under braking and acceleration at a key right-hander.

READ MORE: Every time that Max Verstappen has clashed with the media

Russell also drew Verstappen’s wrath during FP2 at the Austrian GP on Friday, with the four-time champion caught by his onboard camera showing the Mercedes man his middle finger. Verstappen appeared to have taken issue with getting caught behind Russell through Turn 7.

At the time of the incident, Verstappen was not on a push lap, however, and a lot of F1 fans on Reddit have taken issue with his response to a minor moment with Russell. One fan said it was “unnecessary anger,” while another dubbed Verstappen an “elite-tier crybaby” for it.

One F1 fan also connected Verstappen’s incident with Russell with his complaints about the Red Bull RB22 during FP2 at the Austrian GP. But they did not excuse it, noting: “Max, we get it, the balance and set-up is rubbish right now. But please don’t lose your cool now.”

A fan even said, “hothead strikes again,” given that it was not the first time that Verstappen has lost his cool on the circuit, nor was it the first time that it was with Russell. For example, Verstappen drove into Russell in the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix last June when Red Bull asked the Dutchman to yield a position to the Briton that he, correctly, did not believe he should.

The fact that this moment occurred during practice was also not lost on a lot of F1 fans. One fan shared: “Max was on an out-lap, and still can’t help himself!” Another fan similarly said: “Max was on an out-lap and George was on a push lap. Of course, Max acts like a child.”

One fan also said after Verstappen’s incident with Russell during FP2 at the 2026 Austrian GP: “I still don’t understand why the drivers need to be so angry when they are blocked or something in practice. It’s PRACTICE! You don’t get any points, you will not get a lower track position, your car won’t go slower, or whatever. Just calm down and restart your run.”

Russell and Verstappen have developed a rather bitter at times rivalry in recent years, with the Mercedes man often one of the few F1 drivers who are regularly prepared to stand up to the Red Bull racer’s antics. The pair have even been intertwined in the F1 driver market.

Their first major flashpoint came when Russell claimed Verstappen threatened to put him in a wall at the 2024 Qatar GP. Verstappen was enraged by Russell, after he felt the Briton had successfully sought to earn him a grid penalty after they almost crashed during Q3 in Lusail.

Tensions between the pair have persisted ever since, and Mercedes’ persistent interest in a move for Verstappen may have also played at least a small part. One year ago in Austria, for example, Russell revealed that Mercedes were in talks to sign Verstappen for 2026 after the Silver Arrows’ pursuit of the Dutchman delayed the Briton eventually getting a new contract.