George Russell says Max Verstappen ‘cannot deal with adversity’ after Qatar penalty row
During qualifying in Qatar, a scuffle broke out between the two drivers at Turn 12, forcing Russell onto the gravel.
Verstappen was penalized for driving too slowly and was found to have “well exceeded” the driver’s required target time when not performing flying laps.
Stewards supported Russell’s view that if Verstappen was slow he should not be on the line.
Afterwards, Verstappen said he “never thought someone would actually try and actively get someone punished so badly and lie about why I was doing what I was doing”.
On Thursday, Russell denied intending to give Verstappen a penalty.
“There’s nothing to lie about,” Russell said. “He was going too slow, he was on track, in the high-speed corners. I wasn’t trying to get him penalized. I just wanted to prepare for my lap and you fight hard on the track and with the stewards.
“Like Max asked his team the next day Look at the penalty Lando (Norris) took on the yellow flag. It’s not personal. This is racing. “
Russell added: “I don’t know why this topic makes him so angry. He can’t handle adversity. I don’t question his ability at all. But once he doesn’t have the fastest car, Budapest, he bumped into Lewis, Slams his entire team and loses the plot. “
“People have been bullied by Max for years,” Russell said, adding: “He was able to be exploited because no one stood up to him.
“Lewis stood up to him in ’21, That championship was unfairly lost. Can you imagine that with the roles reversed, Max would lose the championship the way Lewis lost the championship? (Then-race director Michael) Massey would have feared for his life. “
He added: “I didn’t want any repercussions from this, I was just defending myself against someone questioning my reputation. Slamming me in the media. “
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff made a surprise appearance at Russell’s press conference and criticized Red Bull team principal Christian Horner for calling Russell “hysterical”, saying it “crossed the line”.
Wolff said: “Why does he feel entitled to comment on my rider? If you’re thinking about it, a barking beagle, there’s always something to say.
“His forte is not intellectual psychoanalysis, but that’s certainly a word. How dare you comment on my driver’s mental state.”
Verstappen said on Thursday he had “no regrets” about his comments in Qatar.
“I mean everything I say,” Verstappen said. “And it’s still the same. If I had to do it again, maybe I would say more because I know the outcome. I still can’t believe someone could do that in a tournament office.”
“To me, it’s very unacceptable because, I mean, we’re both racers and we all have a lot of respect for each other and we even play sports together, you know, you travel together and, of course, you act like you When you get together, you fall apart and you are unhappy.
“In my entire career I have never experienced what I experienced in the stewards’ room in Qatar. To me, it’s really unacceptable.”
