Verstappen Dominates Abu Dhabi Drama Amid Russell's Fiery Accusations
Dec.6 - Tempers are flaring as Formula 1's longest-ever season winds down in Abu Dhabi.
A week after their spat in Qatar, Max Verstappen and George Russell are still at each other's throats. Lando Norris, however, can only giggle at the spat.
"Yes, the two you're thinking about were sat as far away from each other as possible," the McLaren driver revealed as he posted a photo on Instagram of an end-of-season dinner involving all the drivers.
Mercedes' Russell faced the media on Thursday and revealed that Verstappen had threatened him ahead of the Qatar GP. In another part of the paddock, the Red Bull driver accused Russell of "lying" in the stewards' room last Saturday to get him demoted from pole position.
"I find his comments pretty ironic when he comes out and says 'I'm going to purposefully crash into you, I'm going to put you on your fu*king head in the wall'," Russell said.
Russell, a senior director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said the quadruple world champion is a "bully" and vowed to "stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control".
He even accused Verstappen of "doing everything possible" earlier this year to oust Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, and thinks "25 percent of his engineering team" sent out CVs during the course of the fraught season.
"Can you imagine Max losing the title in the way Lewis (Hamilton) lost it (in 2021)," Russell said. "(Michael) Masi would be fearing for his life."
Verstappen also had both barrels blazing at the 2024 season finale, calling Russell a "backstabber" and "loser". "But he can say whatever he wants," the Dutchman told Dutch reporters.
"I'll probably bring some tissues for him next time."
The spat has drawn in the drivers' respective team bosses, Toto Wolff (Mercedes) and Horner (Red Bull) - where there is already no love lost. In Qatar, Horner had departed the paddock by describing Russell as "hysterical".
On Thursday, Wolff intervened in Russell's meeting with the press by calling Horner a "yapping little terrier".
"It's actually a matter between the drivers," said the Austrian. "I didn't really want to get involved. But when the other team boss describes George as hysterical, that's crossing a line for me. How dare you speak like that about my driver's state of mind?"
As far as former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya is concerned, however, it is Verstappen who has come out on top amid the saga. According to him, his threat of a crash with Russell at the start in Qatar worked out perfectly.
"Even George said he thought there would be a crash. So, in his head, he gave up as soon as the lights went out," said the Colombian.
"But I think if it was Hamilton, he could have lived with a crash. That's why Lewis has seven titles, Max has four titles, and the rest have nothing.
"But if you put George in that situation, he won't want to crash. Lando Norris won't want to crash either. But Oscar Piastri might. Carlos Sainz might. But Charles Leclerc wouldn't crash - he'd go on the radio and complain that this is the most unfair thing on the planet, just like Lando. It's just their nature."
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George was surprisingly emotional in his response yesterday.
Bring it on George! Nice to see some ego's colide at last!
This isn't a kindergarten. F1 has always been a battle on and off track.
Nice to see drivers who are outspoken and not hold back their opinion!
Easy to shout the loudest when your a 4 x wdc, agreed let them say what they really think , now what about some comments about Binman
Montoya has that about right about who wouldn’t stand for that BS.
Went back and looked at MV pushing OCON around a few years ago, worse than I thought.
Ocon must feel humiliated knowing he let MV just push him around, knowing it'll forever be on youtube only rubs salt into the wound.
Great to see George coming out fighting.
George is making it easier for Lew’s departure from MB. He learned from the master on how to whine and play the victim’s card. Since when has F1 become the puff ball of sports. Thought the whole idea was to win. MV is probably just a little tired of being the “evil doer of all times” nit picky penalties, drivers whining how awful MV is. Russell is overplaying the victim. Lewis should be proud of his replacement, taking up the banner of poor me status. Maybe time to go behind the shed with boxing gloves and work it out between them, instead of just whining about it.
Last time i checked, the drivers'-seat in an F1 chassis is not a victims'-chair. Those that settle into that chair never prevail.
Max displays a singleness-of-purpose that is not clouded by anxiety or envy. The only other drivers in the F1 paddock that present a similar focus is Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas.
When I view other top-three team drivers, I get the vibe of ennui from them. Constantly sniveling about this or that infraction, the unfairness of it all, under-written with a prevailing sense of overwhelming entitlement and ultimately, selfishness.
Good on George for standing up to a bully
F1 is a toughsport, highly competitive, physically and mentally demanding, often times brutal. Maybe some of the drivers should remember that. Russell needs to concentrate on being a better MB driver and less on the playground antics. If GR can’t deal with MV than he maybe in the wrong profession.
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