George Russell, known for his animosity towards Max Verstappen, gave a very sportsmanlike answer when asked what would he feel if Verstappen was to retire from Formula 1: "Formula 1 is bigger than any driver, so you wouldn't want to lose Max, because I think we all enjoy racing against Max" (via BBC).
However, Russell gave his opinion on why Verstappen is being so critical with the new Formula 1 regulations: he, and Red Bull, don't have a competitive car, unlike Mercedes, who are leading the constructors' championship, with Russell second in the driver championship behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He says he understands his frustration, but their situations are different because Verstappen has already won four world championships.
"The complaints that he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, because we're at the front end of the grid. This is only natural, and you do understand and recognise the frustration".
Russell said he didn't enjoy driving the 2022, "the car was big, heavy, it wasn't pleasent to drive around. But he didn't have the same complaints because he was winning".
"I can totally understand why driving the Nordschleife puts a smile on his face. I've driven hundreds of laps around it on the simulator. And I would love to have that chance to go and race around the Nordschleife. But my goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion", continued Russell. "If I have four of them under my belt, I'd probably be doing the same, so he's in a very different stage of his career."