By James Broughton, December 6, 2024
With the World Drivers’ Championship already decided for the year, the final race of the season was expected to see rivalries between teams and drivers settle down. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. While all eyes were anticipated to be on Lewis Hamilton as he bids an emotional farewell in his final race for Mercedes, teammate George Russell decided to steal the spotlight by engaging in a war of words with Max Verstappen. And Russell didn’t hold back, launching into a truth-telling-triade of a rant in which he accused Verstappen of being violent and intimidating.
The feud had been simmering since the Qatar Grand Prix Q3 Qualifying, where Russell had to take evasive action upon encountering the slower-moving Red Bull. Verstappen was later penalized for driving too slowly.
Verstappen was demoted from pole position to second, while Russell was elevated from second to pole. Verstappen later accused Russell of using dirty tactics, claiming he deliberately approached the slower-moving car at high speed. However, it seems unlikely that Russell would intentionally risk such a high-speed encounter and drive through the gravel trap.
Verstappen went on to win the race comfortably and later revealed in media interviews that he had “lost all respect” for Russell. He accused Russell of deliberately orchestrating the situation that led to the penalty.
On the eve of the final race of the weekend in Abu Dhabi, George Russell fired back at Verstappen. Speaking to the media, Russell revealed his side of the feud:
“He was so angry before I’d even spoken, and at the end of the day, there’s nothing to lie about. The facts were the facts. He was going too slow [Qatar GP Qualifying]. He was on the racing line, the highest speed one. I wasn’t trying to get him a penalty at all. When I was on track, I was in pole position at this time, I was just trying to prepare my lap.”
“What happens in the steward’s room? You fight hard, but it’s never personal. But you know, he’s taking it too far now. People have been bullied by Max for years now, and you can’t question his driving abilities. But he cannot deal with adversity whenever anything has gone against him.”
“Jeddah ’21, Brazil ’21, he lashes out. Budapest this year, very first race, the car wasn’t dominant, crashing into Lewis, slamming his team.”
“As I said, for me, those comments on Saturday night and Sunday were totally disrespectful and unnecessary, because what happens on track, we fight hard. It’s part of racing.”
“I find it all quite ironic, considering Saturday night he said he’s going to purposely go out of his way to crash into me and, quote, ‘put me on my fucking head in the wall.”
“He’s a four time World Champion. When I compare his actions to the ones of Lewis. Lewis is the sort of World Champion who I aspire to be like, you know, the way he fought Max in ‘21 it’s hard, very hard. It’s fair, but never beyond the line. And I think we’ve also got a duty as drivers.”
Verstappen has always had a short fuse, which is often evident in his racing. However, over the years, he has managed to channel that anger into race-winning performances—in other words, he lets his driving do the talking. That said, he will always be an occasional pain in the arse. And you know what? As nonsensical as the feud between Russell and Verstappen may be, it certainly provides its own brand of off-track drama and entertainment.
Russell, on the other hand, wants to race fairly and hard, perhaps harking back to a more chivalrous approach to the sport. However, Verstappen doesn’t subscribe to this idealistic philosophy; he will do whatever it takes to win. Every driver who faces him must adjust and accept that the beast inside Verstappen will never be tamed.
