Max Verstappen didn’t shy away from expressing his displeasure with George Russell claiming “he lost all respect” after a contentious moment during the Qatar Grand Prix qualifying session. Although the Dutchman initially secured pole position ahead of the Mercedes driver, he received a one-place grid penalty for driving “unnecessarily slowly on a cool-down lap.”
As Verstappen eased off to cool his tires late in Q3, he and Russell clashed at Turn 12, forcing the Briton onto the gravel. Russell described the Dutchman’s actions over team radio as “extremely dangerous.” Both drivers presented their arguments to the stewards following the session. The stewards acknowledged Russell’s argument that Verstappen should not have been on the racing line while driving slowly. However, they also considered that the Mercedes driver had a clear view of the Red Bull ahead, which served as a mitigating factor in Verstappen’s case.
Although the penalty had little impact, with Verstappen securing victory on Sunday ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, he was candid in his criticism of Russell, who ended the race in fourth place.
“I was quite surprised when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on,” the Dutchman said. “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 s***w someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect.”
Max Verstappen on George Russel:
“He always does it very nicely here in front of the camera, but then when you’re inside with him in person, it’s just a different person,
I can't stand that and it's actually better for him to fuck off. I don't want to get involved in this.” pic.twitter.com/8A3b7uVXls— Laura 🦋 (@formuLau16) December 1, 2024
The four-time world champion was notably more forthright during an interview with Dutch broadcaster Viaplay. “He [Russell] 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.”
Before the race, Russell acknowledged Verstappen’s frustration over the penalty and suggested he anticipated an aggressive move from the Red Bull driver at the first corner. Verstappen outpaced Russell into Turn 1 and maintained a commanding lead throughout, clinching his ninth win of the season and his second in three races following his victory in Brazil last month. Post-race interviews did not address Verstappen’s remarks, as Russell was unavailable for comment during the allotted time.
Read More: How Much Money Max Verstappen Made in 2024 After His 4th F1 Championship?
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
