Max Verstappen and George Russell have continued their war with words at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix yet one thing Lando Norris said about it has ‘surprised’ Craig Slater.
It may be the final race of the 2024 season but tensions are high between the Red Bull racer and his rival at Mercedes. Sparks are likely to fly between Verstappen and Russell in the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday if they come together on the circuit with all respect lost between them.
Verstappen declared at the Qatar Grand Prix that the Dutchman ‘lost all respect’ for Russell over how he felt the Briton tried to get him a grid penalty. That is now a mutual feeling, too, as Russell lost respect for Verstappen over he ‘made it personal when there was no need to’.
Lando Norris stuns Craig Slater with defence of Max Verstappen amid his feud with George Russell
Russell and Verstappen’s feud erupted at the Qatar GP after the Mercedes pilot complained that his Red Bull rival drove dangerously in Q3. The Dutchman lifted off excessively while on a cooldown lap knowing the Briton was directly behind him and drew a one-place grid drop.
Yet it was not until after the Qatar GP that Verstappen berated Russell’s behaviour, believing the King’s Lynn native went out of his way to get the stewards to issue a penalty. So, Russell would not respond until before the Abu Dhabi GP, and revealed Verstappen threatened him.
But when Slater spoke to Norris about Russell and Verstappen’s enduring feud ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, the McLaren pilot surprised the Sky Sports reporter. Norris especially caught Slater out by saying ‘I don’t think Max tries to intimidate’ and Verstappen shares ‘the truth’.
“I did speak to Lando Norris and I was very surprised to hear him defend Max as fully as he did,” Slater claimed on Ted’s Podbook. “He said, ‘Max tells the truth. Max doesn’t lie. Some people can’t handle the truth’.
“I was referencing the George Russell exchange and the disagreement, and that’s what Lando had to say about that. Now, it was interesting that Russell wanted other drivers to speak up and stand up against Max.”
George Russell brands Max Verstappen a ‘bully’ at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Norris had absolutely zero qualms to share about Verstappen whilst discussing his feud with Russell, reiterating his respect for both drivers even if they do not respect each other. Yet he has clashed with Verstappen on track this year, which helped to cost Norris his bid for a title.
Their first true flashpoint came at the Red Bull Ring when Verstappen crashed into Norris in a fight to win the Austrian Grand Prix that made the McLaren man retire. The United States Grand Prix also saw them clash when Verstappen pushed Norris off the road twice in Austin.
Forcing Norris off the road with aggressive moves also saw Verstappen draw two 10-second time penalties in the Mexico City Grand Prix. Yet the Briton did not seek to add to the war of words between the Dutchman and Russell, who has taken aim at Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
As well as branding the Red Bull ace a ‘bully’ following his words and racing antics, Russell is adamant that Verstappen threatened to put him in the wall ahead of the Qatar GP owing to their drama during qualifying. Verstappen has denied that he threatened Russell, however.
Russell said in Abu Dhabi: “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 head in the wall’.
“For me, that isn’t acceptable and he’s gone beyond the line here, and I’m not going to accept it. So, somebody’s got to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control.”
