Mercedes driver George Russell has explained why he chose to address his issues with Max Verstappen publicly, clarifying that his intention wasn’t to seek a penalty for the verbal conflict or the alleged threat. Instead, Russell stated that he spoke out to defend himself against the Dutchman’s attempts to belittle him in front of the media.
The conflict, which has been ongoing since last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, has made headlines as Formula 1 action began in Abu Dhabi. Tensions ran high between the two drivers in Qatar after Russell reported Verstappen for blocking in qualifying. Though neither were on a flying lap, stewards ruled that Verstappen had impeded Russell on the racing line, resulting in a one-place grid penalty that dropped Verstappen to P2 behind Russell. The decision escalated their conflict, with Verstappen accusing Russell of deliberately seeking the penalty.
Tensions reached new heights in Abu Dhabi when Russell alleged that Verstappen had threatened him. Russell quoted Verstappen as saying, “I will purposely go out of my way to put you on your f****** head in the wall,” intensifying the already strained relationship between the two drivers. The rivalry soon extended to the team principals of both sides, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff calling Red Bull’s Christian Horner a “yapping little terrier,” while Horner countered by comparing Toto to a wolf, further fueling the feud.
While Horner advised the two drivers to solve the matter by having a man-to-man conversation instead of addressing each other via the press, Russell revealed the motive behind his public revelations. He said:
“I have no idea, to be honest, and it’s not something that I even… I’m not looking to get Max penalised.
“I’m not looking for any repercussion from this.
“I am standing up for myself, from a guy who is coming out, questioning my integrity as a person, slamming me in the press – and I just want to set the record straight.
“As I said, Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, but for me, he crossed a line [in Qatar], and that was too much.”
The Briton added that even if it had been another driver in his place, Verstappen would have reacted in a similar manner to make the matter personal. Russell said:
“I honestly think it could have been anybody in that stewards’ room and Max would have reacted the same way.
“He’s made it personal when there was no need to make it personal… he was wound up and frustrated before I even spoke in that stewards’ room.”
