Formula 1 drivers George Russell and Max Verstappen have escalated their feud after a heated exchange in the stewards’ room at the Qatar Grand Prix. Verstappen, the current champion, accused Russell of being “two-faced” and threatened to physically harm him during the race.
Russell denied the allegations, saying that Verstappen had made similar comments earlier in the week, claiming he would purposefully crash into him. The Mercedes driver stated that Verstappen’s behavior was a double standard, given his own history of pushing the limits on track without facing consequences.
The incident has sparked debate about Verstappen’s racing style and the perceived favoritism shown to him by stewards in the past. Russell suggested that Verstappen had become emboldened after years of lenient penalties, leading to incidents like the one at Qatar where he deliberately blocked Russell during qualifying.
Russell also pointed out that Verstappen’s own team has been accused of trying to poach Mercedes engineers, further fueling the rivalry between the two drivers. The Mercedes driver called for both parties to lead by example and respect each other’s boundaries, a sentiment echoed by Lewis Hamilton, who lost his championship in 2021 after a disputed finish.
As the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix approaches, the F1 community is watching with bated breath to see how this war of words plays out on track.
Source: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/42791103/george-russell-reveals-max-verstappen-threat-f1-qatar-gp