George Russell furiously hit again at Max Verstappen after the F1 world champion’s stinging criticism of him and declared that “someone needs to stand up to a bully like this”.
In a serious escalation of the row between two of F1’s main drivers over fallout from Verstappen’s one-place grid drop finally week’s Qatar Grand Prix, Mercedes’ Russell had his first say on the matter for the reason that Pink Bull driver launched a tirade towards him following a race he finally received final Sunday.
Verstappen had stated he had “lost all respect” for Russell and that the Mercedes driver had set out within the stewards room to get him a penalty for impeding him on the finish of qualifying on Saturday.
Russell gave his personal strong-worded response to Verstappen’s claims on the Abu Dhabi GP on Thursday.
“I find his comments pretty ironic when he comes out and says I’m going to purposely crash into you, I’m going to put you on your f****** head in the wall. For me that is unacceptable and he’s gone beyond the line here and I’m not going to accept it,” stated Russell as he referenced alleged feedback made by Verstappen to him after the stewards’ listening to final Saturday.
“So somebody’s got to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control.”
Pink Bull declined to touch upon Russell’s allegations about Verstappen when approached by Sky Sports activities Information. Verstappen has denied the “put your head in the wall” remarks to Dutch media.
Requested what additional steps he would wish to see taken within the matter, Russell stated: “I do not wish to go to the stewards’ workplace.
“I had no intention of bringing this up. He said this to me on Saturday night and I woke up on Sunday morning feeling fine. But to come out of those press interviews saying that I’m two-faced, I’m the f-word, and this and that, he’s taking this personal.
“What occurs on observe is skilled, what occurs within the stewards is skilled, and like Carlos [Sainz] stated to him on Sunday morning ‘you’ll have carried out the very same factor’ and on Sunday within the race he lifted for a yellow, Lando would not carry for a yellow and he says to the staff ‘verify what Lando does’.
“That’s not personal against Lando, that is just racing.”
Russell additionally stated he now too had misplaced respect for the four-time champion.
“I’ve known Max for 12 years. I respected him all this time but now I have lost respect him. We are all fighting on track and it’s never personal.
“Now he is made it private and somebody wants to face as much as a bully like this.”
Verstappen doubles down on Russell criticism
Speaking in the Drivers’ Press Conference before Russell held his own media engagements on Thursday, Verstappen said he had not changed his mind about anything.
“No regrets in any respect as a result of I meant the whole lot I stated, and it is nonetheless the identical,” said Verstappen.
“If I needed to do it once more, perhaps I might have stated much more, understanding the end result of the race end result.
“I nonetheless cannot imagine that somebody will be like that within the stewards’ room. For me that was so unacceptable as a result of, I imply we’re all racing drivers, all of us have a number of respect for one another, we even play sports activities collectively, you journey collectively.
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Max Verstappen remained annoyed together with his Qatar grid penalty incident, saying he was ‘simply making an attempt to be good’.
“And of course, you have moments where you get together, you crash or whatever and you’re not happy. In my whole career I’ve never experienced what I’ve experienced in the stewards’ room in Qatar, and for me that was really unacceptable.”
Drivers have to stick to a minimal lap time on sluggish laps in qualifying and, whereas Verstappen was discovered to have gone too slowly on his ultimate Q3 warm-up lap, he stated that was as a result of he was getting out of the way in which of two different automobiles.
Like Verstappen, Russell was on a preparation lap too however was travelling at a sooner pace after which needed to take to the kerb and gravel behind the Pink Bull.
“I just never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly and lying about why I was doing about what I was doing but clearly it had an influence to them,” added Verstappen.
“It was just really not nice and actually really shocking what was going on there.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s reside Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday December 6
5.45am: F1 Academy Follow
7am: F2 Follow
9am: Abu Dhabi GP Follow One (session begins at 9.30am)*
10.55am: F2 Qualifying
12.45pm: Abu Dhabi GP Follow Two (session begins at 1pm)*
2.30pm: F1 Academy Qualifying*
3.15pm: The F1 Present*
Saturday December 7
8.10am: F1 Academy Race One
10.15am: Abu Dhabi GP Follow Three (session begins at 10.30am)
12.10pm: F2 Dash Race
1.15pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying build-up
2pm: ABU DHABI GP QUALIFYING*
4pm: F1 Academy: Race Two
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book
Sunday December 8
7.10am: F1 Academy Race Three
9.20am: F2 Characteristic Race
11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP build-up
1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP response
4pm: Ted’s Pocket book
*additionally reside on Sky Sports activities Major Occasion
Watch the ultimate race of the 2024 System 1 season – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – reside on Sky Sports activities F1, with Sunday’s race at 1pm. Get Sky Sports activities F1 or stream with NOW
