THE beleaguered Mercedes driver George Russell has hit back at Max Verstappen following a tense stewards’ hearing over a qualifying incident in Qatar, accusing the Red Bull driver of “crossing a line” with his comments.
The dispute between the two drivers stems from a slow-driving incident during the Q3 cooldown lap, which led to an investigation by the race stewards.
Both Russell and Verstappen were summoned to the stewards on Saturday night after Russell claimed he had been impeded by Verstappen, who was allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly during the cooldown lap. The stewards subsequently handed Verstappen a one-place grid penalty, dropping him to second on the starting grid. As a result, Russell was promoted to pole position for the race.
The controversy didn’t end there, as Verstappen went on to win the race on Sunday, with Russell finishing fourth. However, Verstappen expressed his discontent during the post-race press conference, stating that he had “lost all respect” for Russell following the stewards’ hearing.
“I’ve been in that [stewards’] meeting room many times in my career, with people that I’ve raced, and I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard,” Verstappen remarked. “And that for me… I lost all respect.”
Now, as the paddock gathers for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Russell has responded to Verstappen’s remarks. The 26-year-old Mercedes driver stated, “For me, we fight hard on the track, we fight hard in the stewards’ [room], and it’s never personal.”
Russell continued, “What happened at the weekend, from my side to Max, was not personal, the same way as in the race, Max telling his team to check for Lando [Norris] with the yellow flag is not personal from Max to Lando. It’s part of racing, but the words he said [are] totally unnecessary. He’s crossed a line and I’m not going to accept it, so somebody has to stand up to someone who thinks he’s above the law.”
The exchange has further fueled tensions between the two drivers, adding another layer to an already intense rivalry. With the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix approaching, it remains to be seen if the fallout from this incident will continue to shape the dynamics of the championship battle in the final race of the season.
