Mercedes driver George Russell has alleged that Max Verstappen threatened to deliberately crash into him at the Qatar Grand Prix. The accusation was lobbied on an extraordinary media day in Abu Dhabi.
The dispute stems from an incident during Qatar GP qualifying where Russell encountered a slow-moving Verstappen. Both drivers were preparing for a fast lap.
Russell felt Verstappen’s driving was ‘super dangerous’ as he took evasive action. The stewards stripped the Dutchman of his pole position because he’d fallen below the maximum lap time.
Verstappen called his penalty ‘unbelievable’ and thinks it sets a dangerous precedent. He joked that he’d now drive around flat-out on nominal preparation laps in the hope of engineering penalties for his rivals.
The world champion only lost one position on the grid (to Russell) and was able to overtake on the inside before the first corner. But speaking to outlets including The Race, the Briton said Verstappen had no right to question his integrity after he purportedly vowed to take him out of the race.
“I find it all quite ironic considering [on] Saturday night he said he’s going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and, quote, ‘Put me on my f*****g head in the wall’,” Russell said.
Why the FIA aren’t currently planning to investigate Max Verstappen over George Russell comments
Verstappen has already faced one FIA investigation for comments he made this year. He faces a day of ‘community service’ after swearing in a press conference at the Singapore GP.
But speaking in the Yas Marina paddock, Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater revealed that the sport’s governing body currently had no intention to launch a probe into his alleged Qatar threat. Part of the problem is that there may be no recorded evidence of the comment.
In that case, it would be one driver’s word against another, unless there are any witnesses. Theoretically, they could rule that Verstappen had brought the sport into disrepute.
They’ve not ruled out taking action if more evidence comes to light. But for now, they appear reluctant to involve themselves in the high-profile spat.
“What about the governing body in all of this?” Slater said. “Would they investigate the veracity of what Russell has alleged – that he’s been threatened to be put on his head by another driver?
“I’ve sought guidance within the FIA. The guidance I’m getting at the moment is that it’s unlikely that this will be investigated on some kind of ‘bringing the sport into disrepute’ charge. However, let’s see how this develops.”
George Russell echoes Lewis Hamilton in Max Verstappen rant at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stunned the media by gatecrashing Russell’s press conference on Friday. Wolff denounced Red Bull’s Christian Horner, calling him a ‘yapping little terrier’.
This was after Horner dubbed Russell ‘hysterical’ following the race in Qatar. It’s fitting that the Mercedes/Red Bull rivalry has exploded once again in Abu Dhabi, where it reached its extraordinary climax in 2021.
Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton lost out to Verstappen that year. While that particular feud has cooled, Hamilton did criticise the Red Bull superstar in the summer for his conduct at the Hungarian GP.
He told him he hadn’t behaved like a world champion after a series of furious radio messages aimed at his team. Russell echoed Hamilton’s comments on Friday when he suggested that Verstappen ‘cannot deal with adversity’.
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