- Max Verstappen has accused Mercedes star George Russell of being two-faced
- The world champion ignored Russell when he offered a first pump on Sunday
Max Verstappen said he had lost all respect for George Russell on Sunday, accusing the British driver of being two-faced after a public staring match at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The world champion alleged Russell was hypocritical over the incident that cost Verstappen pole in Doha by giving a different story to the stewards from the one he gave to the media.
‘He always acts very nice here in front of the cameras,’ said Verstappen, who was adjudged to have impeded Russell in qualifying. ‘But when you’re in there it’s a completely different person. I can’t stand that.
‘I’ve been in that meeting room many times with people that I’ve raced. And I’ve never seen anyone trying to screw someone over that hard. I lost all respect.
‘It was ridiculous how he tried to force a penalty, and I was heavily p*****.’
According to Marca, Verstappen also said to Dutch media: ‘He’d better go f*** himself, I don’t want to have anything to do with him’.
Max Verstappen vented his frustration with George Russell following the Qatar Grand Prix
The Dutchman claimed Russell had been hypocritical following an incident that cost him pole
Despite the setback Verstappen triumphed in Doha to extend his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings
The pair clashed as they gathered for the drivers’ parade before Sunday’s race won by Verstappen.
Russell offered a fist-pump, which the Dutchman rejected, staring down his rival in full view of the rest of the grid.
Some accounts suggest Russell sought to explain himself; others that Verstappen insulted him.
Verstappen called Russell a ‘****head’ and a ‘princess’ in Azerbaijan last year after an on-track skirmish.
On Saturday, speaking before the stewards’ adjudication, Russell said he believed Verstappen’s tactics cost him outright pole.
‘I had a really scrappy out-lap with the near collision with Max, and I ended up going through the gravel two corners prior to opening my lap,’ explained the British racer. ‘It was not a good start to the lap, so that was probably the 55 milliseconds.
‘I hope it didn’t damage the car, but maybe that’s the reason we didn’t improve? I don’t know. It was a bit of a hairy one, two corners before we start the lap.’
Verstappen said: ‘There were two cars in front of me also making a gap, so I had to make a gap. And I knew that everyone was on a slow lap, not on a push lap.
‘George got excited. He wanted to pass and get around. That’s fine. Everyone tries to get their position to have the best possible start to the lap.’
