The fallout from the Qatar Grand Prix extended into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, particularly regarding the clash between Max Verstappen and George Russell during qualifying.
Verstappen had been summoned by the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly, forcing Russell, approaching from behind, to take evasive action to avoid contact. The incident led to a penalty for Verstappen, but what truly irked the four-time world champion was Russell’s behavior during the stewards’ hearing, where Max alleges the Briton lobbied for the sanction.
Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, both drivers addressed the episode and the behind-the-scenes drama. Russell claimed Verstappen had told him he would do everything to push him off track, labeling the Dutchman’s attitude as crossing the line. The Briton also suggested that Verstappen, despite being at the top of the sport, considers himself above the rules.
In his press conference, Verstappen stood by his earlier comments, stating that he had lost all respect for Russell due to his conduct in influencing the stewards to penalize him.
“No, I have no regrets because I meant everything I said, and it’s always the same. If I had to do it again, knowing the outcome of the race, I might have said even more,” Max Verstappen remarked, emphasizing his disbelief at Russell’s actions during the stewards’ hearing.
“I still can’t believe someone would behave that way in the stewards’ room. To me, it’s unacceptable because we’re all drivers. We all respect each other a lot. We do this sport together, we travel together. Of course, there are moments when we clash or aren’t happy. But in my entire career, I’ve never experienced what I did in the stewards’ room in Qatar. It was truly unacceptable.”
According to Verstappen, the core issue was that Russell lied to the stewards about what Max was doing on that lap. The Dutchman insisted he was merely trying to stay out of trouble and create space from other cars on a cooldown lap preparing to warm their tires. Even Nico Hülkenberg expressed confusion over Verstappen’s penalty during the press conference.
“Everyone ahead slowed down because there were several cars, so I slowed down too. I didn’t want to speed up and ruin their laps. Then I saw someone pushing in my mirror, acting like it was a life-or-death situation and as if he was about to crash or something. We were all on a slow lap, not even a fast one,” Verstappen explained.
“I never expected someone to actively seek such a severe penalty or lie about why I was doing what I was doing. But it clearly influenced [the stewards]. It was really unpleasant and shocking to see what was happening.”
Later, during an afternoon press conference, Verstappen responded to George Russell’s Thursday remarks where he called the Dutchman a bully and claimed he had threatened to push him off track. Max doubled down, accusing Russell of dishonesty.
“That’s already not correct. But you know, these things don’t surprise me. I just state my opinion about him. Obviously, he’s not happy, but it’s the same thing he did with the stewards—lying and putting together things that aren’t accurate. He’s someone who stabs you in the back. For me, it doesn’t matter. There’s no need to talk much about people like that; they’re just losers.”
“We had the last laugh because, in the end, we won that race. They might have started on pole thanks to their lobbying with the stewards, but 300 meters later, they were behind us again.”
Max Verstappen dismissed Russell’s claims that someone needed to stand up to him, stating that his frustration stemmed from the stewards’ meeting, not from increased competition on track this year, as Russell had suggested.
“Why should anyone stand up to me? I’ve done nothing wrong. I just said I was disappointed in his actions with the stewards, that’s all. It has nothing to do with anything else. I was very relaxed; I’d already won the championship. But he had to be so dramatic to try and start from pole. He was screaming to gain a position, which can make a big difference for him.”
“He’s saying many things that aren’t true. But that’s what he did with the stewards too. He insinuated many things that didn’t make sense. It’s typical of him. People can believe what they want, but it’s not true. I’m always the same person, whether at home, here, or with the stewards. You can’t say that about everyone.”
When asked about what was said in Qatar, Max replied, “That’s not how it went. But you know, this is another thing. It happened behind closed doors, so there’s no need to share everything that was said there and make it more dramatic.”
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