Russell Rejects Verstappen’s “Personal Attacks” Amidst Qatar Grand Prix Controversy

Mercedes driver George Russell has stated that Max Verstappen “cannot deal with adversity,” responding to the world champion’s assertion that he had “lost all respect” for Russell. This exchange follows an incident during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix where Russell was impeded by Verstappen. Verstappen expressed dissatisfaction with Russell’s involvement in the Red Bull driver receiving a one-place grid penalty, which resulted in his demotion from pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix the previous weekend. Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Thursday, British driver Russell commented, “I don’t know why he felt the need for this personal attack and I’m not going to take it.” He further declared, “This is me just setting the record straight, I am not going to stand here and let someone slam me personally.” Russell recounted that after their departure from the stewards’ room in Qatar following qualifying, Verstappen used expletives while stating his intention to “purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and put me on my head in the wall.” Russell elaborated, “I knew that was a spur of the moment thing, but the next day, we were joking around a bit with (Sergio) Perez and Carlos (Sainz), I saw it in his eyes that he meant it.” He continued, “He’s a four-time champion. Lewis (Hamilton) is the champion I aspire to be – hard but fair; never beyond the line. We have a duty as drivers.” Russell added, “For a world champion to come out and say he is going to go out of his way to crash into someone and put him on his head, that is not the example we should be setting.” Following Russell’s remarks, Verstappen spoke to the Dutch publication De Telegraf, accusing the Mercedes driver of being “a backstabber” and “a loser,” adding, “He lies and pastes all kinds of things together that aren’t true.” When questioned about Russell’s assertion that he threatened to deliberately crash into him, Verstappen responded, “That’s not true. I didn’t say it like that. He’s trying to exaggerate it again.” During Qatar qualifying, the two competitors had an entanglement at Turn 12, which forced Russell off the track and onto the gravel. Verstappen received a penalty for driving excessively slowly and was determined to have been “well outside” the required target time for drivers not on a flying lap. The stewards accepted Russell’s argument that Verstappen should not have been on the racing line if he was moving at a slow pace. Subsequently, Verstappen stated he “never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly and lying about why I was doing what I was doing.” On Thursday, Russell refuted the claim that he intended to secure a penalty for Verstappen. “There is nothing to lie about,” Russell affirmed. “He was going too slow, he was on the racing line and in the high-speed corner. I wasn’t trying to get him a penalty. I was just trying to prepare my lap and you fight hard on track and in the stewards.” He drew a parallel, stating, “The same way as Max the very next day asked his team to look at Lando (Norris’) penalty on the yellow flag. That’s not personal. That’s racing.” Russell further commented, “I don’t know why this topic has got him so angry. He cannot deal with adversity. I am not questioning his ability one bit. But the second he does not have the fastest car, Budapest, he crashes into Lewis, slams his whole team and loses the plot.” Russell asserted that “people have been bullied by Max for years now,” and added, “He’s been enabled because nobody’s stood up to him.” He continued, “Lewis stood up to him in ’21 and lost that championship unfairly. Can you imagine the roles being reversed and Max losing that championship in the way Lewis lost it? (Then race director Michael) Masi would be fearing for his life.” Russell concluded, “I’m not looking for any repercussion from this, I am standing up for myself to a guy who is questioning my reputation and slamming me in the media.” In an unusual move, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff was present at Russell’s news conference and criticized Red Bull team principal Christian Horner for labeling Russell “hysterical,” stating that this remark “crossed a line.” Wolff remarked, “Why does he feel entitled to comment about my driver? If you’re thinking about it, yapping little terrier, always something to say.” He continued, “His forte is not intellectual psychoanalysis, but that’s quite a word. How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver.” Verstappen confirmed on Thursday that he held “no regrets” regarding his earlier comments made in Qatar. “I meant everything I said,” Verstappen declared. “And it’s still the same. If I had to do it again, maybe I would’ve said even more, knowing the outcome of the race results. I still can’t believe that someone can be like that in the stewards’ room.” He elaborated, “For me, that was so unacceptable because, I mean, we’re all racing drivers, we all have a lot of respect for each other, we even play sports together, you know, you travel together, and of course, you have moments where you get together, you crash, you’re not happy.” Verstappen concluded, “In my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I have experienced in the stewards’ room in Qatar. And for me, that was really unacceptable.”