05/12/2024
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen stands by his post-race comments in Qatar, insisting that George Russell actively tried to get him penalised.
With the drivers' title decided the main point of interest going into the Abu Dhabi weekend is the constructors' version, and while it may decide who gets what from the all-important prize pot it is of little interest to many, especially the new breed of fans driven by 'personality'.
However, the dispute between Mas Verstappen and George Russell has changed all that, this time it is clearly personal, and broadcasters are going to revel in it.
While the Briton was revealing that the Red Bull driver threatened to put his head in the f****** wall, the Dutchman insists that the Mercedes driver sought to deliberately have him penalised.
"I still can't believe that someone can be like that in the stewards room," Verstappen told reporters in Abu Dhabi today. "For me, that was so unacceptable, because we're all racing drivers.
"We all have a lot of respect for each other," he continued. "We 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," he added. "And for me, that was really unacceptable. It's nothing to do with him being the director of the GPDA, 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. It was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on there."
Explaining the qualifying incident behind it all, he said: "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.
"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.
"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."