Someone has to stand up to him »: Russell on Verstappen

The tension between George Russell and Max Verstappen reached its peak during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last race of the Formula 1 season. The Mercedes driver decided to fight back against the world champion’s harsh criticisms, revealing troubling details about their confrontation in Qatar.

The origin of this escalation dates back to the qualifying of the Qatar Grand Prix, where Verstappen was penalized one grid place. Indeed, Russell and Verstappen found themselves in a tricky situation at turn 12. The British driver was forced to go through the gravel to avoid the slow-moving Red Bull. The race stewards sided with Russell, judging that Verstappen was well outside the required target time and should not be on the racing line while driving slowly.

Verstappen had then defended himself: “I was just trying to be nice by letting the two cars pass before Russell arrived behind me. I see him coming in my rear-view mirror, acting as if the most dangerous situation had just occurred, as if he had almost killed himself, it was incredible, and we were all on a slow lap.” However, the stewards were not moved by his arguments.

Reacting to the alarming comments made by Verstappen after this meeting, Russell said: “I find his comments quite ironic when he goes out and says ‘I’m going to deliberately crash into you, I’m going to hit you.’ For me, this is unacceptable and he has crossed the line here.”

The Mercedes driver continued by highlighting a broader behavioral pattern of the Dutch champion: « People have been intimidated by Max for years now. He was encouraged because no one opposed him. Lewis opposed him in 2021 and lost this championship unjustly. Can you imagine the roles reversed and Max losing this championship the way Lewis did? Masi would have feared for his life. »

A war of words that spreads to the stables

The situation escalated further when team principals got involved. Indeed, in an unusual move, Toto Wolff attended Russell’s press conference and strongly reacted to Christian Horner’s comments labeling Russell as « hysterical. Wolff notably denounced his counterpart’s remarks and questioned his behavior: “Why does he feel entitled to comment on my driver? If you think about it, it’s like a little terrier barking, always something to say. His strong point is not intellectual psychological analysis.”

For Russell, the current situation reflects Verstappen’s inability to handle adversity: « I don’t know why this subject made him so angry. He can’t cope with adversity. I’m not questioning his abilities, but as soon as he doesn’t have the fastest car, like in Budapest, he hits Lewis Hamilton, criticizes his whole team, and loses control.

The British driver insists that he was not initially looking for conflict: « I did not intend to criticize Max like that, until he came out and criticized me in such a personal way. It’s not like I’m angry at Max, it’s just me setting the record straight, because I’m not going to stand there and watch someone criticize me personally.

The four-time world champion, for his part, remained firm in his position: “I have no regrets because I meant everything I said, and it’s still the same. If I had to do it again, maybe I would say even more, knowing the result of the race. I have never experienced what I experienced in the stewards’ office in Qatar in my entire career, and for me it was really unacceptable.”

Russell also raised the question of exemplarity in Formula 1: « He is a four-time world champion. Lewis Hamilton is the champion I aspire to, tough but fair, never crossing the line. We have a duty as drivers. For a world champion to say that he will deliberately crash into someone, that is not the example we should be setting. »

The Mercedes driver remains firm on his position and concludes: « Things happen and people move forward. We are adults and we are mature. But now, he has made it personal and someone has to stand up to a bully like him, so far, people let him get away with it.