George Russell's feud with Max Verstappen shows no signs of simmering, despite fans urging the Brit to let it go after claiming supporters of the Dutchman sent his team abusive emails.
The pair clashed at the back-end of last season and engaged in a war of words after the Qatar Grand Prix that only really stopped because the season did.
Speaking ahead of the 2025 campaign, Russell insisted that their feud was in the past, but also took a fresh swipe or two at the Red Bull ace, 27, who he once again accused of bullying.
"I'm not going to accept being pushed around and disrespected in that regard so openly and publicly," the Mercedes star, also 27, admitted when asked about Verstappen's conduct.
"I've seen many people in life push and shove people around to get what they want. You need somebody to stand up to individuals like that - and nobody has done that whatsoever."
He added: "I was a bit frustrated watching the season play out at the front last year. How Max was driving with regard to being harder and sort of bullying others around, showing his aggression in a manner that nobody stood up to."
Russell also said that Mercedes staff had received abusive emails from angry F1 fans in the wake of his clash with Verstappen.
"I have got to be honest. I didn't see any of it myself, but I do know there was a lot of criticism out there," he said. "I know members of my team were receiving emails from Dutch fans. But I think that's a part of sport and life, really, isn't it?
"That's something we accept. And you can choose to read it and let it have an emotional impact on you, even if you laugh at the comments, that has an impact on you.
So I just have this view and mentality that even with the positive comments, does it actually make me drive faster? Probably not, and there are more negative than positive most of the time, so I do really try and avoid it."
The rift between Russell and Verstappen ignited in November last year when the former accused the latter of bullying other drivers on the track.
Things escalated when Verstappen was handed a one-place grid penalty for slowing down in front of Russell's Mercedes during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.
After being hauled in front of the stewards, Verstappen was ultimately punished, and blamed Russell for selling him out to officials.
"I've never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect," Verstappen said of Russell afterwards.
The Norfolk native responded by claiming Verstappen told him he would "go out of his way to crash into me" as payback - something Verstappen denies - before blasting the Dutchman's "integrity".
He told reporters: "People have been bullied by Max for years now, and you can't question his driving abilities. But he cannot deal with adversity whenever anything has gone against him."
When asked about Russell's latest jab this week, Verstappen said he wanted to put their feud to bed. "Honestly, I have no intention to continue any kind of beef in February," he told reporters.
"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."
Echoing Verstappen's thoughts, many F1 fans on social media slammed Russell for digging up old bones. One X user wrote: "Can he move on? Good lord." Another said: "Winners win. Losers talk about winners."
A third commented: "Silly from Russell. Showing it's still affecting him even though he claims it isn't. The guy needs to get a grip." And a fourth pleaded: "Just let it go you are making yourself look worse."
Russell confirmed that the pair had not spoken since tensions boiled over in Qatar, but insisted he had "no concerns" about racing against, and rubbing shoulders with, the four-time world champion. "That happened last year, and I want to focus on myself," he said.
"Obviously, things I felt were outlined at the end of last year and I made it pretty clear that I’m not going to take it. But now it is 2025, and I am focused on the job.
And the job is to win, so I'm not going to change my approach fighting him or fighting any other drivers. The goal is the same and yeah, I guess we'll see when we get to Melbourne."
The season begins on March 16 with the Australian Grand Prix, before the teams head to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix a week later.
Verstappen will be aiming to become just the second driver in F1 history to win five world championships on the trot this year - a feat only Michael Schumacher has achieved.
