The 2024 Formula 1 season has been one of the most dramatic in recent memory for events both on and off the track.
Max Verstappen is now a four-time world champion, but his latest title hasn’t been earned without controversy.
The Red Bull driver has had his various battles with Lando Norris heavily critiqued, but the Qatar Grand Prix saw the start of a new feud with Mercedes driver George Russell.
Verstappen wasn’t happy with a penalty he received for impeding Russell in qualifying at the penultimate race of the season and their quarrel has only escalated from there.
Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have got involved in Verstappen and Russell’s argument and with a three-month break on the horizon after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it’s hard to see everything being resolved quickly.
Nico Rosberg believes Russell needs to take inspiration from Lewis Hamilton when it comes to battling with Verstappen but the Dutchman has never been someone to back down from a fight.
A report from the Daily Mail has shared the feeling towards Verstappen and Russell from Formula 1’s chiefs.
While it’s brilliant for interest in the final round of the season and creates plenty of headlines, if Russell’s claims that Verstappen has said he wanted to drive him into the wall are to be believed, then they need to be very careful.
How F1’s ‘top brass’ want George Russell and Max Verstappen’s feud to end
Russell and Verstappen have taken it in turns to respond to each other’s most recent comments ever since the Dutchman called him out in his post-race press conference after winning in Qatar.
They both held two media sessions on Thursday before taking to the track and they’ll be starting one behind the other for Sunday’s race in Abu Dhabi.
When the F1 drivers met for dinner before the last race weekend of the season, they left one seat free next to Verstappen when Russell was late to arrive.
He grabbed the chair and moved it four seats down to avoid an awkward interaction with Verstappen for the rest of that evening.
It may have been a good opportunity for the drivers to resolve their differences but neither appears keen to make the first step towards a resolution.
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Horner has told Wolff what he should be focusing on instead of weighing into the row between their drivers.
They’ve never had the best relationship either, particularly after the 2021 championship ended in Abu Dhabi.
The report from the Daily Mail suggests that ‘some of the sport’s top brass’ hoped that their fight would stay ‘behind closed doors’.
That was never going to happen once Verstappen called Russell out in Qatar although it’ll be interesting to see what happens after Sunday’s race and if anything has been discussed before next season’s opener in Australia.
George Russell and Max Verstappen could clash again in Abu Dhabi
The final race of the season will see Russell start directly behind Verstappen on the second and third row of the grid respectively.
Verstappen made an amazing save on his quickest lap to avoid hitting the barrier on the start/finish straight.
However, he was still quicker than Russell who is the leading Mercedes following Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing Q1 exit.
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The pair are separated by Pierre Gasly and if Russell can find a way past the Frenchman then he’ll be chasing down his newest rival.
How Verstappen battles Russell should that happen will be examined very closely.
He’s never had a problem going wheel-to-wheel with a Mercedes in the past and that’s unlikely to change on Sunday.
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