The old adage of ‘if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all’ has never really been adhered to within Formula 1 – and now George Russell and Max Verstappen are happy to air their dirty laundry in public after their falling out at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Verstappen was apoplectic last weekend when he was handed a one-place grid penalty for slowing down in front of Russell’s Mercedes during qualifying – even though neither driver was on a hot lap at the time.
With Verstappen having sealed pole, the Red Bull driver was hauled in front of the stewards where he and Russell fought their corner and the Dutchman was ultimately punished, with Russell the man moving onto pole position as a result.
Having won the drivers’ championship a week earlier, Verstappen was still able to take victory in Qatar before hitting out at Russell’s behaviour during the stewards’ enquiry.
It is worth noting the pair have previous, a coming together in the sprint race at Baku in 2023 led to a heated exchange of words, and there was also contact between the duo at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this season.
The issue in Qatar, however, has ratcheted up the tension in the relationship as the pair criticised one another openly during the media day for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Autosport lays out the timeline of how a day of ill-will unfolded.
Pole man Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, and George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, talk in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images
Qatar rant
Things really turned sour after Verstappen was slapped with a one-place demotion by the stewards – but it was Russell’s actions that seemingly riled the four-time world champion over the fact he was hit with the penalty, a decision which appeared to leave Verstappen more perplexed than angry.
“I couldn’t believe that I got it. But in a way I was also not surprised anymore in the world that I live in. I’m not happy with it, but at one point or another you have to just turn the page,” he said.
“It was clear-cut that around me there were different scenarios going on as well, with people having colder tyres and stuff, so they have to push anyway. I didn’t want to then cause a scene into the last corner and for nobody to have a lap.
“I was quite surprised, when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on. It was honestly very disappointing, because I think all of us here, we respect each…
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