Verstappen disputes deliberate crash claim made by ‘bully’ and ‘loser’ Russell

Max Verstappen refuted a suggestion from George Russell that he was going to crash into him deliberately in Qatar last weekend.

The Mercedes driver made a claim that the reigning World Champion threatened him with a collision outside the stewards’ room last time out when he was awarded a grid penalty – but Verstappen firmly denied that was the case.

Max Verstappen denies George Russell claim: ‘He’s trying to flesh it out again’

Russell told media in Abu Dhabi on Thursday that Verstappen had told him in Lusail, after seeing the stewards for an impeding infringement in qualifying, that saying he would “put me on my f***ing head in the wall” – with the Red Bull driver handed a one-place penalty while both drivers were on cooldown laps.

The start ultimately proved immaterial as the reigning World Champion took the lead of his own accord into Turn 1, going on to win the race in Qatar last time out, but the escalating rhetoric between the two drivers continued ahead of the 2024 season finale at Yas Marina, where tensions had not calmed.

When presented with the accusation that he would deliberately drive Russell off track in Qatar, Verstappen told assembled Dutch media, as per De Telegraaf: “That’s already wrong, I didn’t say that. He’s trying to flesh it out again.

“You know what I can’t stand either? That he attacks me in an unacceptable way at the stewards and then comes running back a day later as if nothing is wrong and slaps me on the shoulders.

“We have the last laugh because we won the race last week. They start on pole position because of that nitpicking at the stewards, but 300 metres down the track, they were already behind.

“Everything he brings in has nothing to do with it. I was very relaxed at the stewards, already had the championship. But he had to be so dramatic to start first.”

Max Verstappen vs George Russell: An unfolding argument in Abu Dhabi

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Russell also claimed on Thursday that Verstappen’s aggressive style has been “enabled” in recent years “because nobody has stood up to him”, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton coming out on the wrong side of it in 2021 – and had Verstappen lost that title battle, former race director Michael Masi “would have been fearing for his life” in the aftermath of that dramatic season.

The Red Bull driver took umbrage at this sentiment, and when presented with those comments, added that his Mercedes rival did not “make sense”.

“Yes, but George is a bully,” Verstappen said.

“That he brings all this stuff in. He’s just a loser. He lies and pastes all kinds of things together that are not true.

“I only gave my opinion on his behaviour with the stewards. He is clearly not into that.

“What he said about 2021 was the same with the stewards. He insinuates a lot of things that don’t make sense.”

Read next: George Russell’s Red Bull CV claim in ‘can’t handle a guy like’ Verstappen assertion