George Russell says Max Verstappen “can not take care of adversity” because the Mercedes driver responded to the world champion’s feedback that he had “misplaced all respect” for him.
Verstappen was sad concerning the position Russell performed in which demoted him from pole place on the Qatar Grand Prix final weekend.
Briton Russell mentioned on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Thursday: “I do not know why he felt the necessity for this private assault and I am not going to take it.
“That is me simply setting the document straight, I’m not going to face right here and let somebody slam me personally.”
Russell mentioned that after they left the stewards’ room in Qatar after qualifying, Verstappen swore whereas saying he would “purposefully exit of his method to crash into me and put me on my head within the wall”.
‘Folks have been bullied by Max for years’
Russell added: “I knew that was a spur of the second factor, however the subsequent day, we have been joking round a bit with (Sergio) Perez and Carlos (Sainz), I noticed it in his eyes that he meant it.
“He is a four-time champion. Lewis (Hamilton) is the champion I aspire to be – exhausting however truthful; by no means past the road. We now have an obligation as drivers.
“For a world champion to return out and say he’s going to exit of his method to crash into somebody and put him on his head, that’s not the instance we ought to be setting.”
In Qatar qualifying, the 2 drivers tangled at Flip 12, forcing Russell on to the gravel.
Verstappen was penalised for driving unnecessarily slowly and located to have been “nicely outdoors” the goal time required of drivers when not on a flying lap.
The stewards sided with Russell’s argument that Verstappen shouldn’t have been on the racing line if he was going slowly.
Afterwards, Verstappen mentioned he “by no means anticipated somebody to actually try to actively get somebody a penalty that badly and mendacity about why I used to be doing what I used to be doing”.
On Thursday, Russell mentioned he had not got down to get Verstappen a penalty.
“There’s nothing to lie about,” Russell added. “He was going too sluggish, he was on the racing line and within the high-speed nook. I wasn’t making an attempt to get him a penalty. I used to be simply making an attempt to arrange my lap and also you battle exhausting on monitor and within the stewards.
“The identical approach as Max the very subsequent day requested his crew That is not private. That is racing.”
Russell added: “I do not know why this subject has acquired him so offended. He can not take care of adversity. I’m not questioning his skill one bit. However the second he doesn’t have the quickest automotive, slams his entire crew and loses the plot.”
Russell mentioned “folks have been bullied by Max for years now”, and added: “He is been enabled as a result of no one’s stood as much as him.
“Lewis stood as much as him in ’21 and Are you able to think about the roles being reversed and Max shedding that championship in the way in which Lewis misplaced it? (Then race director Michael) Masi could be fearing for his life.”
He added: “I am not in search of any repercussion from this, I’m standing up for myself to a man who’s questioning my status and
In an uncommon step, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff attended Russell’s information convention and criticised Purple Bull crew principal Christian Horner for calling Russell “hysterical”, saying this “crossed a line”.
Wolff mentioned: “Why does he really feel entitled to remark about my driver? In the event you’re interested by it, yapping little terrier, at all times one thing to say.
“His forte is just not mental psychoanalysis, however that is fairly a phrase. How dare you touch upon the way of thinking of my driver.”
Verstappen mentioned on Thursday that he had “no regrets” about his feedback in Qatar.
“I meant every little thing I mentioned,” Verstappen mentioned. “And it is nonetheless the identical. If I needed to do it once more, perhaps I might’ve mentioned much more, figuring out the end result of the race outcomes. I nonetheless cannot consider that somebody may be like that within the stewards’ room.
“For me, that was so unacceptable as a result of, I imply, we’re all racing drivers, all of us have a whole lot of respect for one another, we even play sports activities collectively, you understand, you journey collectively, and naturally, you might have moments the place you get collectively, you crash, you are not completely happy.
“In my entire profession, I’ve by no means skilled what I’ve skilled within the stewards’ room in Qatar. And for me, that was actually unacceptable.”
