Max Verstappen isn’t backing down from his criticism of George Russell after their heated clash in Qatar last weekend. In fact, he says he might have said even more.
The three-time world champion was hit with a one-place grid penalty after an incident with Russell during qualifying. But it’s what happened behind closed doors that really got under Verstappen’s skin.
“I still can’t believe someone can be like that in the stewards room,” Verstappen said, laughing and shaking his head. “For me, that was so unacceptable.”
It’s the first time we’re hearing details about what went down in that private meeting with race officials. And Verstappen isn’t holding back.
“In my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I experienced in the stewards room in Qatar,” he said. “We’re all racing drivers, we all have a lot of respect for each other. We even play sports together, travel together.”
Sure, tensions run high in F1 sometimes. Crashes happen. Drivers get angry.
But this was different, according to Verstappen.
The Dutch driver accused Russell of actively trying to get him penalized and lying about Verstappen’s actions on track. “It was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on there,” he said.
Some wondered if Russell’s position as President of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) played a role in the situation.
Verstappen shot that down immediately: “No, it has nothing to do with him being the director of the GPDA.”
Despite the penalty, Verstappen went on to win the Qatar Grand Prix anyway, continuing his dominant season. But it seems the bad blood between these two drivers isn’t going away anytime soon.
