LONDON (AP) — George Russell says he won't follow Lando Norris by changing his approach to Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen following a feud last season, as Verstappen said he has “no intention to continue any kind of beef.”
Russell accused Verstappen of bullying in November and claimed the Dutch driver had threatened to crash into him deliberately. The rift began with a dispute over a penalty in qualifying which cost the world champion pole position.
McLaren’s Norris said last week he’ll drive with his “elbows out” when racing Verstappen in 2025 after controversial on-track battles between the title rivals last season.
“We haven’t spoken (with Verstappen since last year), no concerns about him or his driving or anything. That happened last year and I want to focus on myself," Russell said Tuesday ahead of F1's season launch event in London.
"Obviously things, I felt, got out of line at the end of last year and I made it pretty clear that I’m not going to take it. But now it’s 2025 and I’m focused on the job and the job is to win, so I’m not going to change my approach fighting him, fighting any other drivers. The goal is the same.”
Asked about Russell's comments, Verstappen signaled he'd like to let the matter lie.
“Honestly, I have no intention to continue any kind of beef in February," he said. "I’m still enjoying my time actually away from Formula 1 and just getting ready for the season. So I have honestly nothing to say about that subject.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's push to cut down on swearing by F1 drivers led to punishments last season for Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
“Of course I understand that you cannot always swear everywhere you go, right? And I think we all understand that as racing drivers," Verstappen said Tuesday.
"But sometimes in the heat of the moment or when you get interviewed, when you’re in your car or whatever, you’ve just had an adrenaline rush or whatever. You know, sometimes things slip out a little bit.”
Russell is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the body representing F1 drivers, which called on the FIA to treat drivers like adults on the issue last year.
Since then, new rules for 2025 mean drivers could now be suspended or lose championship points if they swear repeatedly.
“I do think there’s merit in saying there is no need to swear in an environment like this," Russell said, sitting alongside new Italian teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
"But ultimately, especially for the guys when English isn’t their first language, the first thing you get taught are the swear words and the first Italian words he’s teaching me are the swear words.”
Russell has also been critical of the FIA after the governing body fired leading officials, including then-race director Niels Wittich, last season. In November he called for clarity over “who's getting fired next” at the FIA.
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FILE - Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain takes part in the drivers parade before the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.
Four apartment buildings were damaged in the bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. Power company DTEK said two of its energy facilities suffered significant damage. The company said that 10 substations that distribute electricity in the Odesa region were damaged in December alone.
Russia has this year escalated its long-range attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. In recent months, as Russia’s invasion of its neighbor approaches its four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified its targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.
From January to November this year, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier this month. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said.
Russia’s sustained drone and missile attacks have taken place against backdrop of renewed diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and announced that a settlement is “closer than ever before." The Ukrainian leader is due to hold talks next week with the heads of European governments supporting his efforts to secure acceptable terms.
The ongoing attacks, meantime, are inflaming tensions.
The overnight Odesa strikes “are further evidence of the enemy’s terror tactics, which deliberately target civilian infrastructure,” Kiper, the regional head, said.
Moscow has alleged that Ukraine attempted to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northwestern Russia with 91 long-range drones late Sunday and early Monday. Ukrainian officials deny the claim and say it’s a ruse to derail progress in the peace negotiations.
Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force claimed Wednesday that the drones took off from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
At a briefing where no questions were allowed, he presented a map showing the drone flight routes before they were downed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Tver, Smolensk and Novgorod regions.
It was not possible to independently verify the reports.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Wednesday called the Russian allegations “a deliberate distraction” from the peace talks.
“No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war,” Kallas posted on X.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Romania and Croatia are the latest countries to join a fund that buys weapons for Ukraine from the United States. The financial arrangement, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase American weapons, munitions and equipment.
Since it was established in August, 24 countries are now contributing to the fund, according to Zelenskyy. The fund has so far received $4.3 billion, with almost $1.5 billion coming in December alone, he said on social media.
Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday that Russia fired 127 drones at the country during the night, with 101 of them intercepted by air defenses.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.
The Ukrainian attack started a fire at an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, but it was quickly put out, local authorities said.
This story has corrected the day of the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian president’s residence to late Sunday and early Monday.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, a Russian Army soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
