Verstappen reaffirms scathing criticism of Russell after Qatar row

Max Verstappen continued his war of words with George Russell ahead of F1’s season finale this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

The freshly crowned World Champion doubled down his condemnation of the Mercedes driver for what he described as "unacceptable" behavior during their contentious encounter in the stewards' office after qualifying at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who lost pole position to Russell due to a one-place penalty for impeding, held nothing back, accusing the Briton of dishonesty and deliberately trying to land him in trouble.

The backdrop to the pair’s beef was rooted in a moment in qualifying at Lusail when Verstappen was placed under investigation by the stewards for impeding his rival into Turn 12.

Arguing his case to the officials, the Dutchman insisted that he was simply managing his pace to stay out of other drivers' way, only to be accused by Russell of blocking him.

The stewards eventually came down on Russell’s side and hit the Red Bull driver with a one-place grid penalty, a move that handed pole to his Mercedes opponent.

But the latter never capitalized on his advantage at the start as Verstappen enjoyed a better launch and claimed the lead as the field barreled into the first corner, the Red Bull charger racing on to secure his ninth win of the season.

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• Verstappen slams Russell after stewards row: ‘I’ve lost all respect’

Despite his on-track triumph, Verstappen remained infuriated by what unfolded in the stewards' office, accusing Russell of betraying the mutual respect shared among drivers.

Four days on, Verstappen didn’t mince words, claiming again that Russell lied to the stewards about the incident and accusing him of being overly dramatic.

"I still can't believe that someone can be like that in the stewards room,” said. “For me, that was so unacceptable, because we're all racing drivers.

“We all have a lot of respect for each other. We even play sports together, you travel together. And of course, you have moments where you get together, you crash, or whatever, you're not happy.

“In my whole career, I've never experienced what I have experienced in the stewards' room in Qatar. And for me, that was really unacceptable.

"It's nothing to do with him being the director of the GPDA," the Dutchman added. "I just never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly and lying about why I was doing what I was doing.

“ But clearly it had an influence on [the stewards]. It was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on there."

Explaining his actions on the outlap, Verstappen emphasized that he was trying to avoid interfering with other drivers’ laps, especially with the championship already secured and little at stake for him.

"Everything slowed up in front, because there were quite a few cars, and I slowed down as well because I don't want to then speed up and try to ruin their preparation as well," he explained.

"Then I see someone flying in my mirror, acting like the most dangerous situation just happened and he almost killed himself or something. It was unbelievable. And we're all on a slow lap; it's not even like someone was on a fast lap."

Verstappen was particularly frustrated by the penalty, which he felt punished him for trying to avoid creating any unnecessary conflict.

"By actually trying to stay out of trouble, you put yourself in trouble," he said. "And also at that point of the season, I don't want to be fighting with anyone when they come to me after qualifying saying: 'Why did you ruin my lap? What are you doing?'

"I don't want to put myself in that position. But basically, by doing that, I put myself in that position where I had to go to the stewards."

Verstappen’s scathing remarks suggest his relationship with Russell, previously cordial, has been irreparably damaged.

With Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also labeling Russell’s behavior as "quite hysterical," the fallout from Qatar has added an extra layer of tension to the grid as the season concludes.

While Verstappen may have emerged victorious on the track, his words make it clear that the off-track drama with Russell is far from over.

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