Max Verstappen has had enough of George Russell! The Dutchman had to relinquish his pole position in Qatar to the Mercedes driver – the FIA ruled that the world champion Russell had obstructed him by ‘driving unnecessarily slowly’. Russell apparently made such a fuss that Verstappen received an unusual grid penalty of one place. After the Red Bull driver still managed to win the main race, he lashed out harshly at his competitor.
“How the other party (George Russell, ed.) handled it yesterday in the meeting with the stewards,” Max Verstappen began in an interview with Viaplay. “That was absolutely ridiculous. I have a lot of respect for all drivers, but after last night, I’ve lost all of it for him.” In the official FIA press conference, he added, “I’ve never experienced someone trying to screw me over so hard.
“I thought it was absurd how Russell tried to get me penalized over that scenario,” Verstappen continued. “I was so pissed off.” The winner of the Qatar GP further explained that George Russell, known as an eloquent and honest driver, presents himself very differently in front of the cameras than in reality. “He may come across as very reasonable on camera, but behind the scenes, he’s a completely different person. As far as I’m concerned, he can really get lost. I want nothing to do with that.
