Formula One world champion Max Verstappen threatened a crash that would send George Russell’s head into a wall at the Qatar Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver has claimed while accusing the Red Bull superstar of “lashing out” whenever he has faced “adversity” on the circuit.
Russell and Verstappen were involved in controversy at the race on Sunday, with both drivers speaking to the stewards after the 27-year-old lost pole position for blocking the Briton and received a one-place grid penalty.
“I find it all quite ironic, seeing as on Saturday night he said he was going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and ‘put me on my f****** head in the wall”,” Russell told journalists on Thursday, discussing remarks the pair have exchanged since the race in comments first reported by ESPN.
“So to question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find is very ironic – and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.
“People have been bullied by Max for years now, and you can’t question his driving abilities. But he cannot deal with adversity.”
Three fighting for the lead up front, three colliding at the back 💥
Qatar might have seen the spiciest start of the season! 🥵#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/prKWU9k40n
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 2, 2024
Max Verstappen: Russell ‘surprise’
Speaking after the race, Verstappen told Viaplay that he had “lost all respect” for Russell because of behaviour he said he had shown in front of the stewards.
“I was quite surprised when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on,” Verstappen said.
“I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. He always acts extremely polite in front of the cameras but if you sit together with him personally, he’s a completely different person.
“I truly can’t stand that. Then you might as well get lost. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
Max and Lando BOTH got the jump on George at the start 👀#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/fVmekEev8H
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 2, 2024
George Russell: Verstappen ‘violent’
ESPN said it had contacted Verstappen for comment about Russell’s latest interview. “What happens in the stewards’ room, you fight hard, but it’s never personal,” said the three-time Grand Prix winner.
“But he’s taken it too far now. He said, ‘I don’t know why you would want to screw me like this, I’m so disappointed in you.
“‘I was going to not even race you tomorrow, I was going to let you by. But now if I have to, I will purposely go out of my way to put you on your f****** head in the wall.’
“So, I mean… as I said, I don’t understand why he was so unnecessarily aggressive and violent in that regard.
A restart so frantic, it was impossible to know where to look!
The heli got an incredible view as we returned to racing 🚁#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/eg9bAPPKnV
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 3, 2024
“I honestly just want to set the record straight, to be honest. It’s just a total double standard that he has for the regulations, and just thinking that he is above everybody else.
“So it’s not me trying to assert my leadership style or anything. It’s just somebody has come out and said that I’m a two-faced m***********, and he’s entitled to his own opinions.
“But coming out and saying that publicly, and slamming me publicly – as I say, I’m just not going to accept it, and I’m going to tell people what the reality was.”
Verstappen ‘thinks he can get away with murder’
Verstappen’s daring tactics have drawn admiration from fans and reservations from critics during his career. “He pushes himself to the absolute limit week in, week out, and that, in 95% of the scenarios, is incredible to see,” acknowledged Russell.
“And I respect him for that 95%. But there have been incidents that have gone unpunished. Maybe that is why he thinks he can get away with murder. But that is not the world we live in and actions have consequences.
Episode nine of the Max Verstappen Podcast was short and sweet 🫶#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/wJ2e17xC1J
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 2, 2024
“They’re doing their utmost to get [team principal Christian] Horner out of Red Bull, but at the very first race that he wasn’t competitive, [Verstappen] was absolutely slamming his team.
“I know for a fact the week after, a quarter of his engineering team were sending their CVs to Mercedes, to McLaren, to Aston [Martin].
“So I don’t respect somebody who doesn’t appreciate those who have given him the chance to perform, because these last 12 races, he has had a car that is of normal competitiveness… that’s how it should be.
Super Max owns Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪
Will the world champion end the season on a high once again? 🏆#F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/OvSILFK28J
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 4, 2024
“He’s the biggest, most successful guy in the sport for the last couple of years. He can do what he wants in his own business, but when he starts throwing comments around like he did on Sunday night about me, I’m not just going to sit there and accept it.”
Verstappen won his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 24.
Russell is currently sixth in the standings, immediately above teammate and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
