George Russell hints he will get his elbows out at the 2025 Canadian GP by warning Max Verstappen he can afford to collect more penalty points as he sends the Red Bull a threat for the Sunday, June 15 race.
The Mercedes driver delivered an excellent lap to take pole position at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve by a commanding 0.160 to the four-time world champion, whilst also being the only man in the 1:10s.
With McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third and Lando Norris in seventh, the 27-year-old has a golden opportunity to take his first race win of the Formula 1 season if he can fend off the Dutchman.
However, their qualifying positions come just 14 days after their drama at the Spanish GP where defending champion drove into the side of the Brit and collected a 10-second penalty and three Super License points.
That leaves him just one away from a race ban should he accumulate 12 for the 12-month period, as Kevin Magnussen found out in 2024, and the Las Vegas GP winner suggests he might take advantage of that fact.
As a result, Russell sends Verstappen a threat that he will be aggressive into Turn 1, knowing he can afford to spend more penalty points at the 2025 Canadian GP without risking suspension.
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“We are mates, it’s all good,” Russell said to F1 TV, in a joking tone. “I’ve got a few more points on my licence to play with.
“Let’s see.”
Verstappen sends cryptic message to Russell amid penalty points threat
For Verstappen, the qualifying order means he has rare chance to significantly eat into the 39-point gap to Norris in the drivers’ standings whilst also giving him a chance to close slightly up to Piastri, the championship leader.
Russell ahead could pose a threat throughout the 70 laps in Montreal for the 2025 Canadian GP but the Mercedes is far more vulnerable to the Red Bull than the McLaren is based on the form through the season.
Yet the father-of-one was surprisingly cryptic when it came to explaining how aggressive he might be against Russell, with the threat of a race ban for the upcoming Austrian GP hanging over his head.
“I would always pick P1,” Verstappen told F1 TV. “As you always start a bit more forward. But it’s fine, we will see what we can do tomorrow.
“I’m already very happy with that we achieved today, to be on the front row. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a solid race.”
