On the sidelines of free practice for the Abu Dhabi GP this Thursday, Mercedes driver George Russell accused Max Verstappen (Red Bull) of having threatened to hit him on purpose.
George Russell (Mercedes) on Thursday accused Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who attacked him last weekend in Qatar, of having threatened to hit him on purpose. “I find it all quite ironic, given that on Saturday night he said he was going to crash into me on purpose and, quote, put (my) fucking head upside down and into the wall.”he declared in the paddock of the Yas Marina circuit, in Abu Dhabi, where he was questioned about the reproaches publicly addressed to him by the Dutch driver last weekend. “You know, people have been brutalized by Max for years. “You can't question his qualities as a driver, but he is incapable of withstanding adversity every time something goes against his will.”added the Briton as the 24th and final Grand Prix of the season approaches. The quarrel between the two drivers dates back to the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, where the Dutchman, who had taken pole position, did not appreciate being penalized by one place on the grid. departure after intervention by the race stewards in favor of Russell. The Mercedes driver said he was hampered by Verstappen during qualifying on Saturday. After his victory the next day, the four-time world champion said to himself “surprised and disappointed” by Russell's attitude during their hearing in the race stewards' office.
“I respect a lot of drivers, but yesterday (Saturday) I completely lost my respect for him”he said on Dutch television. “He can go to hell, I don’t want anything to do with him anymore.”he added. Verstappen has created controversy on several occasions this season with very aggressive maneuvers towards his competitors, notably on Lando Norris (McLaren), whom he hit in June in Austria, before twice pushing him off the track in Mexico in October. “We can go beyond the limits by making a slight error of judgment, but to go so far as to say that we are deliberately going to hit someone and put their head upside down is to go beyond the limits”lamented Russell in front of journalists. “We have a man who is at the top of his sport and who thinks he is above the law, and I don’t think that’s normal.”he concluded. For his part, Verstappen criticized Russell on Thursday for having “lied” and for him “sticking knives in the back”.
