Max Verstappen’s X-Rated Threats to George Russell at Qatar GP Revealed

Max Verstappen enjoyed a successful time in Qatar last weekend as the reigning world champion took home his ninth victory of a season in which he has already been crowned Drivers’ Champion. However, the biggest talking point coming out of Lusail centred around a reported confrontation between Verstappen and George Russell after the race.

The Red Bull man started the race from second place on the grid, despite recording the fastest lap in qualifying. That was because he was handed a one-place grid penalty by the stewards for driving too slow on his approach lap before the one that saw him – temporarily – secure pole.

Even though he went on to win the race, Verstappen was still seething about the penalty after his victory. He placed the blame firmly at the door of Mercedes’ Russell, who he insisted had tried to ‘screw him over’ when speaking to the media.

2024 F1 Drivers’ Championship top 5 (as of 05/12/24)
Position	Driver	Team	Points
1.	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	429
2.	Lando Norris	McLaren	349
3.	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	341
4.	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	291
5.	Carlos Sainz Jr	Ferrari	272

The 27-year-old also made that same point to Russell in a behind-the-scenes confrontation. Rumours quickly circulated about what was said between the pair. However, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Russell has explained exactly what Verstappen said to him – and it doesn’t make for pleasant reading.

What Max Verstappen Said When Confronting George Russell After Qatar GP

Max couldn’t hold himself back when he caught sight of Russell after this race…

Every Word Max Verstappen Said to George Russell in Ill-Tempered Confrontation

Reigning world champion allegedly threatened physical violence

Russell revealed just how heated the situation had become when addressing Max’s comments about his own behavior in the stewards’ room:

“I find it all quite ironic seeing as Saturday night he said he was going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and ‘put me on my f****** head in the wall,” Russell told select media, adding: “So, to question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find is very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it. Those comments were totally disrespectful and unnecessary. Because what happens on track, we fight hard, that’s part of racing. What happens in the stewards’ room, you fight hard, but it’s never personal. But he’s taken it too far now.”

The Mercedes driver made sure to stress that Verstappen’s comment was not made in jest, pointing to the manner in which the Dutchman has lashed out at fellow drivers when things have not gone his way in the past. Max has routinely been criticised in some quarters for his aggressive attittude towards racing – even being hit with two 10-second time penalties for his reckless approach when competing with Lando Norris in Mexico City. After a similar incident in Austin, Texas, Verstappen’s peers began to complain about his driving style, and new regulations regarding overtaking were then implemented, beginning in Qatar.

“To me, privately, straight out of the stewards’ room he said, ‘I don’t know why you would want to screw me like this. I’m so disappointed in you. I was going to not even race you tomorrow, I was going to let you by, but now if I have to, I will purposely go out of my way to put you on your f****** head in the wall.’ So I don’t understand why he was so unnecessarily aggressive and violent in that regard.”

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The Brit continued: “I admire his on-track battles, and when he’s hard and aggressive. But what we’ve seen before – what we saw in Mexico with Lando – weren’t hard, aggressive maneuvers. They were: ‘Do or die – I’m willing to take this guy out.’ Which I don’t think is the way we should go racing.

“He pushes himself to the absolute limit week in, week out, and in 95 percent of the scenarios, that is incredible to see, and I respect him for that 95 percent. But there have been incidents that have gone unpunished. Maybe that is why he thinks he can get away with murder. But that is not the world we live in, and actions have consequences.”

Verstappen may well face some of those consequences now that Russell has shared his threats in graphic detail, with his words going far beyond what would likely be considered acceptable by the FIA.