Verstappen was furious after Saturday’s Baku F1 sprint after he felt Russell made unwanted contact with him as he battled for third at the first corner of the race.

The Red Bull driver confronted Russell at the parc ferme after the race, dismissing his opponent’s explanations and mumbling that he was a “fool” as the Briton walked away.

Verstappen is known to have had multiple collisions with Hamilton in the past, and the Russell incident has prompted some to suggest the Dutchman may opt to be more aggressive with Mercedes than other teams.

However, in the Baku incident, Wolff did not see anything wrong, he thought it was just an elbow between two young drivers.

Asked if he felt Verstappen played differently with Mercedes, Wolff said: “No, I think Max played differently with Lewis. A fierce, yet so familiar.

“They probably had it for the first time at 10 years old. So it’s the game. I don’t know if it’s 70/30, 60/40 or 50/50. It’s going to be on that pitch.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, third, interview at Parc Ferme

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

Wolff feels Verstappen’s outburst was just a moment of entertainment, as he fully understands why the world champion might be upset by what happened.

“The friendly exchange between the drivers is a great entertainment factor – so inconsequential!” he said. “(In) the race situation (Verstappen) was trying to get on the outside (line). It was never easy.

“They collided and he had a big hole in his car, which is certainly not optimal for your game. It’s totally understandable that he wasn’t happy.

“But on the other hand, George defended his position. It’s also clear that they will. So it’s not the first time I’ve guessed that there is a situation between them.”

Wolff also made it clear that he feels any driver who tries to hold out on the outside like Verstappen does is taking a risk.

“If I were George, I would do the same thing, and if I were Max, I’d be frustrated,” he said. “I thought he defended well.

“I think it’s dangerous to overtake on the outside because you either end up in the final or you end up hitting the wall. Or you can get a softie inside and give you all the space in the world.

“But on the inside, you need to get to a pretty big angle. If you try to make a sharp turn there, you’re going to lose the race on the next straight.”