Verstappen Declares “Lost All Respect” for Russell After Qatar Grand Prix Penalty

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who secured victory in a dramatic Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, has stated he has “lost all respect” for George Russell following a penalty issued at the event. The world champion expressed his dissatisfaction with the Mercedes driver’s involvement in the incident. Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell by driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying on Saturday. This penalty caused his Red Bull car to drop from pole position to start behind the Briton on the grid. Verstappen was upset by Russell’s behaviour when they both attended the stewards’ meeting to discuss the incident. “I was quite surprised when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on,” Verstappen commented. He continued, “Honestly, very disappointing because I think we’re all here, we respect each other a lot and, of course, I’ve been in that meeting room many times in my life, in my career with people that have raced, and I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard.” Verstappen concluded, “And that for me… I lost all respect.” Speaking to Dutch TV station Viaplay, Verstappen further added: “He always acts extremely polite in front of the cameras but if you sit together with him personally, he’s a completely different person.” He elaborated, “I truly can’t stand that. Then you might as well get lost. I don’t want anything to do with you.” Verstappen, who ultimately won the race while Russell finished in fourth place, reportedly discussed his feelings with the Briton prior to the race. Due to the schedule of post-race media interviews on Sunday, Russell was not questioned regarding the incident. However, individuals familiar with the Mercedes driver’s perspective indicated that further details of the situation might emerge. Russell is anticipated to be questioned about the matter on Thursday, which is the media day before the season-closing race in Abu Dhabi.