Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty for “driving unnecessarily slowly” and obstructing George Russell during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix last week. Following the incident at the Qatar Grand Prix, tensions escalated between the two drivers, with Verstappen stating that he had no respect for Russell.
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Russell shared his thoughts on Verstappen’s comments: “On Saturday night, he deliberately said he was going to collide with me and send me ‘headfirst into the barriers.’ It’s quite ironic that he would make a comment like that when you’re questioning someone’s character. I don’t accept it. People have been bullied by Verstappen for years. You can’t question his driving ability, but he can’t handle the challenge.”
Russell continued, “We saw how Verstappen reacted in Jeddah 2021, in Brazil, and this year in Budapest. When the car wasn’t dominant, he collided with Lewis and blamed his team. His comments on Saturday night and Sunday were completely disrespectful and unnecessary. Because no matter what happens on the track, we fight hard. That’s part of the competition. What happens in the stewards’ room is still a tough fight, but it’s never personal. But he takes it too far.”
When asked how they could fix the situation, Russell replied, “I don’t plan on talking to him because I have no intention of apologizing. This is his problem to solve, not mine.”
Russell was also asked if other drivers shared his concerns. He responded, “I don’t understand why other drivers give Verstappen such an easy way in the fight. Lewis is a world champion, and I want to be like him. He is a role model that young people should look up to. And we saw how Lewis behaved during that championship fight: tough, aggressive, but always respectful. He never crossed the line. Sometimes you can cross the line with a wrong decision, but to say that you are going to deliberately hit someone and send them head-on is crossing the line.”
When asked why he hadn’t spoken about this issue before, Russell explained, “I have known Verstappen for a long time, and I know his attitude. Everyone in the paddock knows his attitude. But it is not my job to make him look bad.”
He continued, “I was joking around with him about it at the parade. I went up to him, put my arm around him, and said, ‘How are you today?’ and I laughed. And I said to Carlos, half-jokingly, ‘Did you hear what this guy said to me yesterday?’ But I could see in his eyes that he really meant what he said.”
“Carlos even said to Verstappen: ‘You would have done the same in the referee’s room.’ And he did the same thing on Sunday. Lando went full throttle under the flag. He said it on the radio. But it’s not personal, it’s part of the race. If you see a competitor not following the rules, you say it.”
Russell was asked why he chose to speak out now, and he said: “Because Verstappen spoke in the media and disrespected me as a driver. I’ve known him for 12 years. There was respect between us before. We never collided.”
“But there is a guy who is at the top of the sport and thinks he is above the rules, and I don’t think that’s right. I appreciate his fight on the track. But what we saw at the end of 2021 or what happened against Lando in Mexico were not hard, aggressive moves. They were all-or-nothing manoeuvres. Verstappen was acting with the mindset of ‘I’m going to take this guy off the track.’ I don’t think we should be racing like that.”
