MONTREAL — George Russell said he did not expect Max Verstappen to take responsibility for their clash in Spain because “it’s quite unlike him.”

Verstappen angrily drove into the side of Russell’s car in the closing laps of the Barcelona race, an incident which moved him onto the cusp of a one-race ban.

Although Verstappen had been unapologetic afterwards — saying he would “bring some tissues” next time he heard Russell complaining about the incident — the reigning champion showed contrition in a social media post the day after the race, saying the incident “wasn’t right” and “shouldn’t have happened.”

Russell, who last year called Verstappen a “bully” who people in Formula 1 were afraid to stand up to, said the Red Bull driver’s post was out of character.

“I was a bit surprised to see him taking responsibility, because it’s quite unlike him,” Russell said during Thursday’s media day for the Canadian Grand Prix.

“We actually bumped into each other at the airport a few days ago, but we didn’t even chat about it. He was there with his family and his newborn, chatting about how that was going. He was busy folding the pram and trying to get it through the security scanner.

“So, look, there’s nothing from my side I need to talk about. Had I been taken out of the race, I’d be feeling very differently for sure. Ultimately, his actions benefitted me, cost him, and I should say thanks.”

Verstappen addressed the post himself on Thursday, saying: “[The post was] sharing my view of things, how I thought that race panned out. Not ideal for me, but that was my statement. And then I went back to enjoying my day.

“It was a misjudgment, you know, clearly in the corner. But you don’t need to go into full detail of why, how and what. Everyone makes mistakes in life. Everyone learns from them and we just move on.”

Verstappen also vowed to keep racing the same as always, despite the fact a minor transgression in either of the next two races could sideline him for a grand prix.