At Formula 1’s Abu Dhabi season finale 12 months Lando Norris, firmly corrected a journalist from another publication who made the mistake of describing Max Verstappen as his ‘BFF’ – i.e. ‘best friend forever’.
“Don’t ever say that again,” Norris snapped. “We respect each other and we get along. Kind of friends away, but that’s it. We just have a lot of respect for one another. That’s it.”At the time, no one knew this year’s championship fight would principally involve those two drivers. But by the time Verstappen clinched the crown two rounds ago, had Norris diminished the view he’s a bit too cosy with his supposed rival?
Whenever the pair met on the track this year, Verstappen usually got the upper hand. Granted, he always had the benefit of being the hunted rather than the hunter, which brought with it the knowledge any mutually destructive collision would be to his advantage.
Even so, Norris never succeeded in making life uncomfortable for Verstappen. They collided at the Red Bull Ring, for which Verstappen was penalised, yet the defending champion still out-scored his challenger. Verstappen deployed his ‘divebomb defence’ to useful effect in Austin. Even in Mexico, where Norris out-scored Verstappen, the Red Bull driver’s cynical lunge at turn seven successfully prevented the McLaren driver from winning the race and maximise his points scored.
Other drivers have pushed Verstappen far enough to provoke a reaction. This was clearest during his bitter 2021 world championship fight with Lewis Hamilton.
But another driver has demonstrated an ability to get under his skin: Hamilton’s soon-to-be-ex-team mate George Russell. Even before he joined Mercedes (though while he was one of their junior talents) Russell needled his future rival.
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Late in 2020 he spoke up for Verstappen’s struggling team mate Alexander Albon, saying he was “being made to look like an idiot” by Red Bull. Verstappen was not impressed by the slight on his team, responding: “George doesn’t know anything about the team so I think it’s better he just focuses on his car and his performance instead of speaking for someone else.”
In the immediate aftermath Verstappen said he’d “lost all respect” for his rival. Was there any there to begin with? He called Russell a “dickhead” to his face after the pair tangled at Baku last year.
But whatever mutual respect there might have been before has now been incinerated. Verstappen accused Russell of “lying” in the stewards’ meeting at Losail, adding he had “no regrets at all” about his subsequent remarks “because I meant everything I said.”
“If I had to do it again, maybe I would have said even more, knowing the outcome of the race result,” Verstappen continued. “I still can’t believe that someone can be like that in a stewards’ room. For me, that was so unacceptable.
“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.”
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Russell said he had done no more than argued his case and accused Verstappen of taking a professional dispute personally.
“It’s pretty clear,” he explained. “On your lap you all have to follow a certain lap time because the stewards don’t want you trundling around too slow, when you’ve got [another] car driving at 200 miles an hour. He was in breach of that, I was following to the letter of the law.
“I wasn’t trying to get him the penalty. That’s just how things transpired. At the end of the day, I was on pole position at that time in the session, he went on to pole position.
“But it’s racing. All of this is racing. But he’s felt the need to take it personal. I have no idea why he has done that.”
The Mercedes driver tried to put the focus squarely on his rival’s temperament. “He cannot deal with adversity. Whenever anything is not going his way, he lashes out with unnecessary anger and borderline violence.”
It won’t have escaped Verstappen’s notice that Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, took Norris’s side over the incident between the championship contenders in Austin, and has pressed for the rules to be changed to prevent Verstappen and others performing similar moves again.
“There wasn’t necessarily anything in the guidelines about Max’s manoeuvre,” he said ahead of last week’s race. “If you divebomb and go off the track, that is effectively out of control. So everybody’s in agreement with [changing] these things.”
Is there a reason why Russell is picking this fight now? He may already be considering the possibility of a championship fight next year, when he becomes Mercedes’ most experienced driver alongside newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Russell has enjoyed a strong run in recent races: He could have won in Brazil, did win in Las Vegas and took his second consecutive pole position – Verstappen’s fury notwithstanding – in Qatar. Verstappen easily passed him off the line when the latter race began, but what might have transpired had Russell’s start been fractionally better?
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After Norris and Verstappen tangled in Austria, the Red Bull driver said he told his rival: “I’m not there to try to crash you out of the way.” But Russell made the startling claim Verstappen told him the exact opposite in Qatar, saying: “I’m going to put you on your fucking head in the wall.” Verstappen has reportedly already denied this claim.
When the season began, Russell was being asked about the possibility Verstappen might be his next team mate. He welcomed the prospect, describing him as “the best driver on the grid.”
Now Russell is calling Verstappen a “bully” who has been allowed to “get away with murder.” The prospect of the two sharing a team any time soon is surely over, and Russell has let Verstappen know he should expect a tougher fight from him than Norris offered.
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Jack
5th December 2024, 16:39
Russell playing that victim card pretty hard.
What was interesting last week was the support from people behind the scenes who confirmed Max’s claim of Russell having different personalities
KarenCampbell
5th December 2024, 17:03
I’m no particular fan of either driver, but… how do you defend someone threatening to purposely force another into the wall, then back it up later by saying they don’t regret their words? This is just a sport. In any other sport that I know of, if something similar happened, the governing body would hand out a hefty suspension and fine. But not F1, because…. ?
..
5th December 2024, 17:07
Verstappen said he never said that, so it could be another lie.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
5th December 2024, 18:17
Verstappen probably said a lot worse things than that. Didn’t he call the stewards a brick wall and that’s he’s being nice to everyone? Lord knows what he was saying there…
Ludewig
5th December 2024, 18:37
@freelittlebirds
Stop making stuff up, Michael.
osnola
5th December 2024, 19:08
i am sure you will know..
Patrick (@anunaki)
5th December 2024, 19:48
“It’s like talking to a wall” is a dutch saying meaning something like “they weren’t listening to what I say”
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
5th December 2024, 21:16
We have the same saying ‘it’s like talking to a brick wall’, and it’s a rude thing to say generally speaking, and arrogant because it’s basically saying others aren’t giving you what you want when you expect them to.
In the case of stewards you have to accept they’ve made a judgement and move on, not whine about it. Ah, but he never whines and is always in the right apparently.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
5th December 2024, 21:18
well, Verstappen told us that he said those things so it’s not like I’m making it up.
You’re a backstabber and a liar :-)
I’m just trying to be nice to you guys but I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall.
How can anyone respect any of you here? You’ve done it, I’ve lost all respect for you.
F*#%ers! :-)
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
6th December 2024, 0:09
Try and ignore Ludewig he’s very clearly not interested in making reasoned arguments, just arguments for the sake of it.
Ludewig
6th December 2024, 9:59
Except that my arguments are actually based on facts, while you throw in your lot with the greatest confabulator on this forum, Carl.
And here you show your true colors as well, not even bothering to make an argument, but just resorting to personal attacks. But if you can’t win on the facts…
David BR (@david-br)
5th December 2024, 19:56
Russell could be lying. But we know Verstappen has purposefully crashed into other drivers in revenge (Monza 2021). So I tend towards believing Russell’s general take on their ‘conversation.’
Of course the low-life fans of violent bullying on this website and elsewhere will simultaneously claim ‘he didn’t say that’ and complain with scornful delight that Russell shouldn’t be ‘snitching’.
RBA
5th December 2024, 23:49
When you have negative wheel knowledge but choose to never learn racing because you’re idolo is Hamilton.
Sad.
David BR (@david-br)
6th December 2024, 0:35
Maybe if you stick that into Google translate five more times it will come out making some sense.
MacLeod (@macleod)
6th December 2024, 8:29
Monza wasn’t Max who purposefully crashed into Lewis that was more the sausage curb which launch Max on Lewis not because Max wanted to end up Lewis.
But I think this is the Dutch directness compaired with the British. I would be fuming if you talk a certain way outside the Steward room and inside the room saying a total different thing.
I think the Lolypop video says it all :) yes that is sarcatish.
Ludewig
6th December 2024, 10:00
@david-br
Monza 2021 was an aggressive overtaking attempt. But there are many British fans on this forum who live in their own reality, totally divorced from the truth.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
6th December 2024, 12:51
It was attempted manslaughter.
Doh
5th December 2024, 23:25
Actually he said he didn’t say it like that so he didn’t deny it.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
6th December 2024, 5:07
Well he’s the only driver to deliberately try to crash into a rival this season so I’m definitely inclined to believe Russell on this one. Max has shown enough of his character over the years that Russell’s claims are hardly outlandish.
Ludewig
6th December 2024, 10:00
@tommy-c
When? You are lying.
Todfod (@todfod)
6th December 2024, 5:09
Don’t know what Max said, but he seems likely to say anything in the heat of the moment.
I’m just hoping Netflix somehow caught that stewards room discussion action. Would be great to watch!
Moi
5th December 2024, 17:08
You are taking as truth something Russel claims but Max denies, then taking that as a base for your rhetorical question.
Which kind of answers it.
SPArtacus
5th December 2024, 17:18
George running to tell mom again.
Either way: Yawn. In more interesting news Hadjar let slip the deal is done to drive with RB next season and therefore we can assume Perez is gone, unless they’ve suddenly decided to drop Lawson, which we know they have not and will not.
SPArtacus
5th December 2024, 23:07
And until he does his talking on track, saying Russell “shows he’s no soft touch” is a complete joke. His walk the talk didn’t even last to the first corner in Qatar.
Anyway, the media’s going to milk this until we’re fit to puke. Expect 30+ stories before R1 ‘25.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
5th December 2024, 23:39
Well I hope one is that the stewards have acted and disqualified Russell for “misleading/lying to them” to have an opponent penalised.
That would be a stat!
Mercedes the only team to have had both current drivers , Lewis (2009).and George this year disqualified for misleading/lying to them.
Hop to it! You know you can do it.Clocks ticking though.
SPArtacus
6th December 2024, 6:05
All my attorneys are en route to Paris/FIA HQ.
Oleg
6th December 2024, 23:38
2 Crawliin…..
Maybe you can also recall the sequence of events in 2009?
And the role of the team manager in that Hamilton story?
And the fact that Hamilton did not win anything at that time…
Still, if we remember and compare, then we must remember completely
MoogleSlam
5th December 2024, 16:58
I generally agree with Russell, and I’m shocked at what Verstappen has gotten away with during his career. He’s practically redefined how you drive an F1 car, and not in a good way; he has no respect for other drivers, or the rules. In my near 40 years of watching Formula 1, I’ve never seen a driver consistently drive as dirty as Verstappen. Not Senna, not Schumacher. It’s a miracle he hasn’t caused a more serious accident than we’ve seen. He constantly leaves no room for other drivers, pushes them off track, adjusts his line in the braking zone, and more. Other drivers have to go out of their way to avoid a collision due to his despicable tactics, and others being the ones to avoid the collisions has just encouraged him to do it more and more over the years. It would almost have been better if the other drivers had stuck to the lines they were entitled to, to dissuade Verstappen from “getting away with murder” time and time again. I started out excited about his skill and promise, but his constant disregard for the rules, and for safety, has tarnished F1 for me. His attitude and immaturity in interviews, when things haven’t gone his way, are also not at all enjoyable to watch. Again, when you compare him to other greats who had controversial moments like Senna & Schumacher, Verstappen has tarnished his reputation more than them for the regularity at which drives like an entitled child with complete disregard for the rules and safety, and he does nothing to make up for it in interviews. It’s embarrassing to watch at times.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
5th December 2024, 17:45
I don’t agree with part of your assesments, but I have to say, some of Verstapen’s dirty behavior on track fascinates me. He has such a big motivation to win, like I’ve never seen before in F1. I think this motivation drives him to do everything in order to win, no matter what (of course, unless it threatens others lives, that would be unacceptable). Anyway, I haven’t seen a gentleman win a WDC, you have to be a predator.
osnola
5th December 2024, 19:14
Interesting viewpoint, knowing that all experts agree Vertsappen knows the rules to the letter and uses this in his driving.
Even the stewards often needed rulebending to find a way to punish him for following the rules.
The most clear example in recent times the penalty point for obstructing cry baby Russell. Nobody recieves penalty points for that only (during a fast lap!) the standard three places grid drop.
You are right about verstappen redefining f1, but in a good way.
He succeeded to finish a boring championship collection by the same team and made f1 exiting again.
Probably to exiting for your taste it seems ;)
Davethechicken
6th December 2024, 8:18
Strange Max gets so many penalties if he knows the rules so well
Rahim.RG
8th December 2024, 1:55
I was rooting for Max in 2021 for the same reason. Its been boring to see just one driver and a team winning for so many years. But when I saw Max go up against Lewis throughout 2021 I realised just how good Lewis really is. We all have our own opinions and conclusions but 2021 was the first ever season where I watched the season as a neutral (Raikkonen Fan). I could already tell by Imola GP 2021, Max is taking things way too far. At that time even Lewis remained quiet but you could tell from his face that he wasn’t impressed with Max’s way of racing. Come Silverstone 21 (I was at the circuit) I could see it from Friday FP1, Lewis was on another level on every corner I saw cars that weekend. It just looked he wasn’t going to let Max have it his way this time. Up until Silverstone 2021, Lewis was always the one who had given up between the two in every racing situation. But when Max is made to taste his own medicine, he gets all bitter and acts like a victim but forgets what he’s done to other drivers. Max is one of the fastest drivers in the world if not the fastest. But I think his racing and his attitude has unfortunately set a wrong precedent for whoever comes up next to beat him. Unfortunately, a driver will need to play it dirty in order to win against him, which is sad, but true (Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong). That’s why 2021 may have been the year where Max won the title, but Lewis won the hearts <3
SteveP
8th December 2024, 9:33
Small correction:
Lewis won the title, Max was gifted with it
Alonslow
5th December 2024, 19:32
He was the original Verstappen, always go for a gap or your’re not a racing driver, just send it in Suzuka 1989, and the next year crashing on purpose in the same circuit, almost impossible to pass and forget about passing on the outside ever it’s always his corner, sounds familiar?
Lose the car, Damon can get pass? just crash into him, and years later JV is faster? crash him, he got DSQ from the entire championship.
Not even taking 7th titles and a break made him lose his temper, see 2010 and trying to take down Rubens with a nice squeeze.
So I disagree on Max being much more dirty than this two guys, if anything he’s a bit tamer.
Davethechicken
6th December 2024, 8:20
What Senna said, about going for a gap, was nonsense then and remains so now.
But it is a nice soundbite
MichaelN
6th December 2024, 8:24
Jerez was bad, and Schumacher said as much himself. He regretted that.
The incident with Barrichello was no big deal. Schumacher was moving right as soon as they came out of the last corner. It was the biggest hint ever that he was blocking the inside. Barrichello messed up, and then had a big whine about it. Naturally, an anti-Schumacher angle found a recipient audience among F1 media.
fawkes
5th December 2024, 20:36
COTD
spot on, MoogleSlam
Carsten Nielsen (@carstenb)
5th December 2024, 21:03
You’ve got my support to this post, 100%
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
5th December 2024, 23:40
Thing is, there are loads of posts like this with reasoned arguments about why Max is an issue, then we get a dozen posts by people just calling people liars (just like Max, actually) and crying that everyone is somehow pro-British and treating Max unfairly with no body of evidence to back it up. At lest for me that says everything about who is more on the correct side of the argument.
Ludewig
6th December 2024, 10:04
@mysticarl
You are already showing your bias with your first sentence. Apparently your bias is so strong that any argument that is not attacking Max cannot be considered reasoned by you.
I like that you pretend that you came to your conclusions based on how people argue, rather than that you came into the discussion with conclusions drawn, which is absolutely obvious.
RH
5th December 2024, 23:52
Most of it is legal.
Some people just wanna see a procession. And never want to see a slow car defend a quicker car.
I guess enjoying no competition for 8 years does that.
If faster cars always blasted past without even trying I guess it’s “clean” racing.
Terrible comment in every way.
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
6th December 2024, 0:08
Yes lots of evidence you have there to back up your opinion. Terrible reply in every way.
SPArtacus
6th December 2024, 6:25
Endless silly comments like RH’s from both the pro-Max and pro-Lewis fans. I don’t trust the opinion of anyone who is constantly talking about either driver.
While OP doesn’t come off as either, he must not have watched Schumacher and Senna recently enough to remember 95% of it. MSC and Senna, both drivers I like, have dozens of moments if done today they’d be immediately black flagged and fined. Then suspended if it happened again. Max has had many moments when he got unsporting dirty, but few could be called dangerous post-2019 (prior to that, I didn’t like the braking zone shenanigans he was getting away with and considered them dangerous).
Other than those, I’d like a list of what people consider Max’s dangerous incident. Some I hear are nonsense (e.g., a totally level headed LH fan claimed the other day MV not only nearly killed Lewis at Monza in 2021 but that he intentionally tried to hurt him).
SteveP
8th December 2024, 10:03
Many of the rules that allow those penalties, were created, or altered appropriately, to stop those drivers and others (Crashstappen Snr.) doing it whenever they felt the need.
It’s interesting that additional rules have appeared in recent times, with more coming it seems, to cover things that Max has been doing.
Some people complain about the LH dominance period, preceded by the Vettel four years, but I can’t recall a groundswell of drivers asking for better rules to stop a particular driver abusing the situation.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
6th December 2024, 11:54
Really well said and exactly how I feel.
Salty (@salty)
6th December 2024, 22:10
I agree. I’ve been following and watching F1 since 1974. Max has great speed. But as he has met with other very fast drivers, his impatience and lack of race craft has become apparent. Driving cars off of the track is not talent. It’s bald aggression. And at that speed dangerous.
What happened in Monza in 2021 was disgusting. Replete with the “That’s what you get…” as Max walked away from the accident that could have killed someone. If people are “fans” of that, then they have no respect for everything that went before in F1. And everyone who died. Drivers. Stewards. Fans.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
5th December 2024, 17:04
I think George is trying to start his tenure as the main Mercedes driver strongly. Showing he can stand against Max.
I believe both of them, really. And if Max said such things in the stewards office, then the stewards should’ve acted upon it…
DaveW (@dmw)
5th December 2024, 17:06
It’s all hearsay but I have a hard time thinking Russell would just make up a threat from Verstappen about crashing at T1 and an easy time believing Verstappen would make that threat.
Ludewig
5th December 2024, 17:34
@dmw
Russell also made up the claim about Max trying to crash into Lewis at Hungary, so why is it so difficult to believe he heard what he wanted to hear, just like he saw what he wanted to see, with regard to Hungary.
David BR (@david-br)
5th December 2024, 20:02
@dmw Well put, my take precisely.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
5th December 2024, 17:14
Are we seriously questioning Russell here? Hamilton said he’s never seen anyone who races like Verstappen in his career and he was the recipient of most of Maldonado’s antics.
Of course, Max said he’ll crash all drivers into the wall. Isn’t that practically how he’s been driving the whole time he’s been in the sport?
Max is like Antonio Rudiger who should never finish a match without a red card.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
5th December 2024, 18:26
Well, that’s your opinion and it’s extremely biased.
I am in the camp of every F1 driver who thinks that Max is a homicidal driver so I’m in very good company. You’re in the camp of just a few fanatical fans. It’s your right but I suspect you ought to look up the definition of bias.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
5th December 2024, 17:48
Russell should be thinking about his next team mate next year. Kimi will be rookie, but if he lives up to his promise, George will have a hard time. Not that he is a slouch. But a young hungry driver might be a hell of problem for even for established champion, as 2007 showed.
w0o0dy
5th December 2024, 18:44
Correction you are in the camp of h@ters that cannot stomach someone making your favourite look “not half bad” after hailing him to be the Greatest. Fact is that Max has caused less accidents let alone serious accidents that put another driver at risk then your “Chosen one” since 2020
w0o0dy
5th December 2024, 18:45
@freelittlebirds
SteveP
5th December 2024, 20:07
Step away from the mirror and stop ranting at yourself.
Seriously, Russell is not a totally likeable character, and Verstappen is a bully with a tendency to “go postal”
Ray West (@raynaud2211)
5th December 2024, 18:46
Russell being Russell. Blaming always others of his failure. He lost from pole 2 spots by his own doing. So weak to come up with a statement that you can’t check. And even so, Verstappen didn’t put him in the wall, but Russell did scream for a penalty during a slow lap. In this case I dont believe Russell. Always someone else, like Bottas in Imola or Perez in France or Max in Baku. Its never his doing. But anyway, he is a nobody in F1 that cracks under pressure and will be soon forgotten instead of Verstappen, that would sting a lot.
Davethechicken
5th December 2024, 19:11
Never liked Russell before but warming to him now.
As he has talked the talk, he will have to walk the walk on track, next time he is battling Max for position.
Should be interesting.
Peat Smoke
5th December 2024, 19:16
The main thesis of the article is straight out of fanfiction. Russell playing a victim in an over the top, soap opera style manner, shows anything but toughness. It’s a rather dramatic attempt at narrative control. The insinuations about Max’s engineers sending CVs to different teams are comedy gold. I wish the journalists had some balls and asked him to provide names and evidence.
He’s good at talking. I give him that. But on the track he gave up the lead in Qatar easier than Norris in Barcelona.
osnola
5th December 2024, 19:19
yep and all that of the one who put a driver in the wall and hit him in the head not knowing how his situation was.
crying foul about others seems his middle name..
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
5th December 2024, 19:53
Max is getting a bit embarrassing now, exactly like a bully defending himself. It’ll catch him out at some point in a way he won’t be able to lie about.
Remember there were and are plenty of people saying Schumacher was fine as well, ignoring things like 1994, 1997, nearly running Barrichello into a wall at 190mph and parking at Monaco. Fans just become blind to anything they don’t like about their driver.
SteveP
5th December 2024, 20:15
If you believe in karma, and expect it to happen soon, or even in this life, you need to go read the texts, because on that front it would be more likely that the karma is to spend the next 10 lifetimes as a halal meat animal in a country with little concern about animal welfare.
Sadly, a good collection of decades of experience shows that liars don’t always get their comeuppance in any meaningful timeframe, or at all.
Ludewig
6th December 2024, 10:06
Wow. Are you OK, man? You seem to truly be going off your rocker.
SteveP
6th December 2024, 14:26
Going?
Applebook
5th December 2024, 20:00
Max is so transparent that it’s almost pitiful. He knows that Leclerc and the McLaren drivers are no threat. The real heir apparent is Russell. Don’t be scared, Max.
David BR (@david-br)
5th December 2024, 20:08
If Verstappen or any other driver was recorded making this kind of threat, would or should he be banned from Formula 1? It’s quite a remarkable threat to harm another driver.
Ferrariforever
5th December 2024, 20:16
If Verstappen, or any other driver, would threat to put you into the wall, would you stand next to him the next day before the race, all smiling and pretending nothing happened?
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
5th December 2024, 23:43
If you put it down to someone venting a frustration and you were a nice person, yes. Unfortunately Max has continued to bring the issue up and try and drive George’s rep into the mud so I’m glad he decided to actually vocalise what Max is like behind closed doors. It’s funny actually that Max is the one decrying George for being two-faced but is guilty of it himself in a far more personal way.
j3d89
6th December 2024, 1:21
When you think about it… George is the liar here.. max has been in F1 for a good time now.. has had crashed with multiple people.. and have been taken to stewards room many times… Never never he had reacted like this with someone that took him to the room… And max always been blunt honest, straight forward little or zero pr .. I’m with max right now
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
6th December 2024, 9:15
Max has repeatedly reacted like this when he doesn’t get his way, it’s the exact opposite of what you’ve said.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
5th December 2024, 21:25
@david-br I’m beginning to wonder if the penalty was for that statement along with Max’s belief that he was 100% in the right and they were ALL wrong.
If Max made that statement then he should be held accountable because it is very much in line with his driving. No other F1 driver should have to be afraid whether another driver could intentionally mean harm to them.
I’d like to hear confirmation from the stewards regarding the conversation that was held. If inappropriate statements were made by Max, they should penalize him. Maybe a 5 race ban next season.
tielemst
5th December 2024, 21:36
Can’t know for sure, but I’m pretty convinced this (if he said it) was something he threw in Russel’s face after the meeting with the stewards. If not, he would/should have been in a world of trouble.
Osnola
6th December 2024, 7:52
Still hoping for it i see.
Grasping for every straw you can find.
I get it you are dissapointed by four years of supreme driving.
Ludewig
6th December 2024, 10:08
@freelittlebirds
You are making stuff up again. No one is claiming the alleged statement was made in the stewards room (if it was made at all).
SteveP
6th December 2024, 14:50
I think @freelittlebirds is referencing the comment that Max was full bore swearing in the stewards’ office when he (Russell) arrived.
Without info from the stewards, that’s probably a deep level of hearsay.
As to the “into the (cough) wall” comment, that seems to have been first reported (last week) by journalists that overheard a rather loud “exchange of views” and merely repeated by Russell during his press session this weekend.
Tiaki Porangi
5th December 2024, 21:18
Don’t like Russell much, absolutely despise Verstappen, who I think is very bad for the sport given the dangerous and clearly illegal moves he’s allowed to get away with, race after race.
I also believe both of them on this – George is a backstabber, that much is obvious from his comments over the years, and Max is a rude bully who has no problem crashing into other drivers if it gives him an advantage.
This is only good for “Drive to Survive” and the new “F1 fans” who now litter the sport like so much flotsam and jetsam.
Toto taking a swing at Horner was totally unexpected, but also entertaining…this is F1 in 2024 – nothing is off the table.
And it’s Christmas.
Ho fu–ing ho!
mars
5th December 2024, 21:27
It seems Max got his racing genes from his mother and his bully behavior from his half-witted father. Also, living closely in a toxic environment with the other half-witted Helmut and the hypocrite Christian is not helping the situation for sure.
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
5th December 2024, 21:31
I’d love a behavioural specialist to give an opinion on the way both Max and Russel spoke to the media today. When Max was talking in the Thursday briefing talking about Russel he was fiddling with stuff, not looking at the interviewer when talking and generally, to me, looked like he was lying. Russel talking about it later on was talking off the cuff, not giving any outward tell that he was lying abut what Max was saying. Maybe George is just a very good liar but I believe him more than I believe Max, based on how they’ve behaved recently and over the last few years.
Doh
5th December 2024, 23:31
It’s quite a hard reach to ask why Russel is picking a fight when it was verstappen making the remarks post race in qatar. To which russel didnt Respond as far as I’m aware. Then today verstappen is again talking about it strongly enough that Russel finally responded, and strongly enough imo as max was attacking his character
It’s more a question of why verstappen is picking this fight, and doing so very vaguely. he hasnt said anything concrete about what russel did in the stewards room that was so bad, other than saying it was unacceptable. seems like its more a case of verstappen either acting entitled and being upset about it or maybe he needs some steam for next season
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
5th December 2024, 23:36
I think it’s two-fold – one is George is head of the drivers association and he’s been pushing for an increase in driver standards which Max clearly is a big part of the reason for, and Max has an issue with that because he likes freedom to race how he likes because he’s one of the best at pushing the limits of acceptability. The other is that Red Bull see Merc as an increasing threat again given they’ve won a few races again, so they need to smack talk them down.
Doh
5th December 2024, 23:45
True but how would this help max in the gpda and racing rules changes?
Haha yeah maybe that too
As far as the racing rules go, it’s aout time! Max has got away with a lot for a long time (since 16′) and even when penalised it’s not been an appropriate amount which has allowed him to continue. Eg 2021 was not dealt with right eg Brazil and it resurfaced this season because of the lack of a strong hand.
But this is the same org that gave a tap on the wrist to Maldonado in Monaco practice a while back for quite frankly using his car as a weapon against Perez.. much like vettel in Baku but at least vettel got a meaningful penalty even though he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
6th December 2024, 0:04
Vettel’s issue though is exactly where Red Bull could really help Max – Ferrari did not back Vettel when he did that, and Red Bull when max has done similar go all-out attack on anyone suggesting their driver was to blame.
Doh
6th December 2024, 0:26
Exactly! I didn’t remember this about Ferrari but good on them. Hamilton also has a word with vettel which probably helped too.
Salty (@salty)
6th December 2024, 23:05
I agree. All the energy is coming from Max about George. But George didn’t instigate the stewards review. Max’s driving did. Was Max going slow? Yes. Was he on the racing line? Yes. Did a car coming at speed behind him have to avoid and brake heavily. Yes.
Max stating that he would purposefully drive into another drive is hardly news. Monza 21 turn 1. “That’s what you get if you don’t leave any space, f……. hell.”. Pre-halo, that would have been manslaughter.
Is the FIA paying attention?
F1 Fan
5th December 2024, 23:55
It’s sad that most regular users have a pea for a brain.
F1 really is not for the smart. Well they are out there doing the good things I guess.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
6th December 2024, 2:33
George is the one who has put himself into the wall and upside down, or on his side crying for red as is nobody noticed. No George is just trying to protect his “signature move”. He doesn’t need anyone’s help for that or to get someone else penalised .
Alex
6th December 2024, 3:10
George can be a tougher fighter to Max on a scrutineering room with FIA stewards, presenting his defense with the best English vocabulary. At the track, Lando is way better than him and capable of doing much more than just swaggering.
Crying out loud and hoping for someone to sympathize with his cause.
MichaelN
6th December 2024, 8:29
It was pretty obvious what Hamilton did. Hill’s word salad on the F1 podcast afterwards was embarrassing. He just couldn’t say it.
BMW P85 V10
6th December 2024, 9:10
Like all of Max” opponents over the last couple of years (except Leclerc) he is trying to win the race off track, because he knows he won’t be a match on the track.
Matthijs (@matthijs)
6th December 2024, 9:25
Both drivers could be right about each other. Russell could be a snitch and Verstappen could be a bully. I don’t have to pick a side because I don’t know them personally. These drivers are in F1 because of their superior race craft, not because of superior personality.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
6th December 2024, 10:06
Seems that when looking in the miror there’s too few recognising Enoch Powell admiringly returning their gaze.
BamBoomBots
6th December 2024, 10:37
A literal dumpster fire for a comment section. Because two millionaire drivers said some things about each other.
People, you have better things to do than to fight as an extension of a narrative war between two human corporate billboards!
BenHur
7th December 2024, 0:13
Words words words.
Drivers do the real talking on track
Check the Qatar start. Georgie Baby soiled their nappies from that ill-gotten pole position. Max delivered. And pretty cleanly too.
Sorry Baby Georgie but the loser is… you. Again. Too bad you cannot compare to a grown-up.
(not sorry, really)