ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Mercedes F1 driver George Russell claims Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen threatened to crash into him and “put you in your f***ing head within the wall” after their stewards’ listening to forward of the Qatar Grand Prix and that “individuals have been bullied by Max for years now.”
4-time world champion Verstappen obtained a one-place grid penalty in Qatar final week after Russell claimed the Crimson Bull driver intentionally drove slowly in entrance of him throughout qualifying. The penalty dropped Verstappen behind Russell, who was promoted to pole place.
Whereas Verstappen received the race, he mentioned afterward that he had “misplaced all respect” for Russell and he had “by no means seen somebody making an attempt to screw somebody over that arduous” in a gathering with the stewards.
However talking to pick media on Thursday, together with The Athletic, forward of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Russell responded publicly for the primary time to Verstappen’s feedback.
“I discover all of it fairly ironic, seeing as Saturday night time he mentioned he was going to purposefully exit of his method to crash into me and ‘put me on my f***ing head within the wall,’” Russell mentioned. “So to query anyone’s integrity as an individual whereas saying feedback like that the day earlier than, I discover, could be very ironic, and I’m not going to sit down right here and settle for it.
“Folks have been bullied by Max for years now, and you’ll’t query his driving skills. However he can not cope with adversity. At any time when something has gone in opposition to him — Jeddah ’21, Brazil ’21 — he lashes out. Budapest this yr, the very first race the automobile wasn’t dominant, crashing into Lewis (Hamilton), slamming his group … As I mentioned, for me, these feedback on Saturday night time and Sunday have been completely disrespectful and pointless.”
Crimson Bull declined to touch upon Russell’s allegations when approached by The Athletic forward of publication.
Verstappen later responded to Russell’s feedback in his common Dutch media session, held on the finish of every Thursday. Based on De Telegraaf, when the quote about placing Russell within the wall was put to Verstappen, he mentioned it was “not true, I didn’t say it like that. He’s exaggerating once more.”
Verstappen went on to say that Russell was a “backstabber” for his feedback. “The way in which he brings up all this nonsense, he’s only a loser,” Verstappen mentioned. “He lies and cobbles issues collectively that don’t add up. I solely voiced my opinion about his habits with the stewards. Clearly, he couldn’t deal with that.”
The pair spoke after qualifying in Qatar (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto through Getty Photographs)
Russell mentioned that Verstappen had “taken it too far” together with his newest feedback however that he had little interest in chatting with the Dutchman because it was “his drawback to cope with.” He characterised what Verstappen mentioned as a “private assault” that prompted him to wish to set the file straight.
Requested by The Athletic to make clear when Verstappen made the feedback to him, Russell claimed they have been made privately following the stewards’ listening to.
“(It was) to me privately, yeah, straight out of the stewards,” Russell mentioned. “He mentioned, ‘I don’t know why you’ll wish to screw me like this, I’m so disenchanted in you. I used to be going to not even race you tomorrow, I used to be going to allow you to by, however now, if I’ve to, I’ll purposely exit of my method to put you in your f***ing head within the wall.’
“So, I imply… as I mentioned, I don’t perceive why he was so unnecessarily aggressive and violent in that regard.”
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Earlier than Russell’s quotes have been printed publicly, Verstappen was requested usually in his pre-race press availability about his interplay with Russell following the listening to, to which he mentioned he had “no regrets in any respect” as a result of “I meant every little thing I mentioned.”
“And it’s nonetheless the identical,” Verstappen mentioned. “If I needed to do it once more, possibly I’d’ve mentioned much more, realizing the result of the race outcomes. I nonetheless can’t consider that somebody will be like that within the stewards’ room.
“For me, that was so unacceptable as a result of, I imply, we’re all racing drivers, all of us have lots of respect for one another, we even play sports activities collectively, you recognize, you journey collectively, and naturally, you could have moments the place you get collectively, you crash, you’re not completely happy.
“In my entire profession, I’ve by no means skilled what I’ve skilled within the stewards’ room in Qatar. And for me, that was actually unacceptable.”
Russell’s feedback come on the finish of an F1 season that had seen Verstappen’s on-track conduct positioned within the highlight on a number of events, most just lately on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix when the Dutchman was penalized twice for his racing strikes in opposition to Lando Norris.
Verstappen beforehand confronted criticism for his actions on-track when preventing in opposition to Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s Mercedes team-mate, for the world championship in 2021, with Russell referring to incidents at that yr’s Saudi Arabian and Brazilian Grands Prix.
Verstappen went on to win the race in Qatar (Clive Mason/Getty Photographs)
“We’ve received a man who’s on the highest of this sport who feels he’s above the legislation, and I don’t assume that’s proper,” Russell mentioned.
“I like his on-track battles and when he’s arduous and aggressive. However what we noticed in the long run of the season in ’21 or what we noticed in Mexico with Lando, they weren’t arduous, aggressive manoeuvres. They have been ‘do or die. I’m prepared to take this man out,’ which I don’t assume is the way in which we should always go racing.”
Russell additionally claimed he wished to make a stand in opposition to Verstappen to set an instance for future generations of drivers.
“I’m not going to simply accept him throwing remarks and feedback round like this like they’re nothing,” Russell mentioned. “And we’ve received to do not forget that we’re the top of this sport. This weekend for instance in Mercedes, we’ve received two junior drivers right here, they’re wanting as much as us. That’s not what we must be inspiring into the eight-, nine-, 10-year-olds who watch Method One.
“I’ve received my nephew, eight years previous, simply beginning to get into go-karting and watches each race. That’s not the way it must be.”
Russell spoke additional about Verstappen in his scheduled media session at Mercedes’ hospitality unit later within the day and was joined unexpectedly by his group principal, Toto Wolff.
Wolff took challenge with the feedback made by his Crimson Bull counterpart, Christian Horner, about Russell’s actions within the stewards’ room. Horner claimed on Sunday night time that Verstappen’s penalty “was extra based mostly on hysterics from George, who has been fairly hysterical this weekend.”
Wolff mentioned there was “at all times one other aspect” in penalty debates and that it was the responsibility of the group principal to think about that with their driver.
“If you happen to don’t try this, you’re falling in need of your function,” Wolff mentioned. “It’s simply weak. On the finish, why does he really feel entitled to remark about my driver? How does that come?
“However occupied with it, I’ve spent 90 seconds to consider it… Yapping little terrier. All the time one thing to say.”
Requested why he felt the necessity to converse up with Russell, Wolff replied: “There’s a factor between drivers, and that is George and Max, and I don’t wish to get entangled in that, but when the opposite group principal calls George hysterical, that is the place he crosses a line for me.
“Now, his forte for certain will not be mental psychoanalysis, however that’s fairly a phrase. How dare you touch upon the way of thinking of my driver.”
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Max Verstappen responds to Qatar qualifying penalty: “I misplaced all respect”
(High photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto through Getty Photographs)