Max Verstappen spoke to the press ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with a full-blown feud with George Russell.
The heated dispute between Max Verstappen and George Russell is leaving significant repercussions on both sides. The four-time world champion, coming off his ninth victory of the season in Qatar, spoke to the press ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the season.
The Dutch driver immediately returned to the topic of Russell with the following statements: “From now on, I’ll always go full throttle on the out-lap and pretend I’ve been hindered by anyone! Actually, it was strange, at that moment I didn’t even realize what had happened. I tried to explain my version to the FIA, trying to be polite. I slowed down because I didn’t want to be in anyone’s way.
We all slowed down, and I did too, to avoid blocking anyone’s preparation. Then, I saw in the mirrors that someone was flying, acting like it was the most dangerous situation possible. He almost killed himself or something like that, but we were all on a slow lap…”
“When I was called by the stewards, it was surprising. I hadn’t impeded anyone, and I think that even on a slow lap, everyone takes normal racing lines to avoid collecting dirt. I don’t know how they came to that conclusion, but it was disappointing. I got myself into trouble trying to stay out of trouble. I don’t want to argue with anyone, I don’t want anyone coming to me asking, ‘Why did you ruin my lap?’ But by doing what I did, I put myself in that position and had to go to the stewards.”
Verstappen then talked about the last race of the season, saying:“Yas Marina is a different track from Lusail, but the result in Qatar shows that even when things aren’t going well, there’s always an opportunity to turn things around or make the car more competitive. At the start of the weekend in Qatar, we weren’t fast, but then we found ourselves fighting in qualifying. This shows that the car had more performance than it seemed.
But I arrive here calm and relaxed, ready to learn something that might be useful for us next year. It would be positive to win, but it’s not something that will change our lives. We know what we need to work on and will try to be as competitive as possible.” .”
Finally, Verstappen shared his thoughts on the Dutch Grand Prix, which will remain on the calendar until 2026: “It’s news that obviously makes me sad, but on the other hand, I’m also very proud of what they’ve done. When I started racing in F1, I never imagined we’d be back in Zandvoort, but the races we’ve had there and all the events they’ve organized are something that deserves great respect.
I’m proud to have played a role in all of this, and seeing the fans there was fantastic. I can’t wait to return in the next two years, and then in 2026, there will also be the sprint race. It’ll be a grand farewell, so I’m excited to see what will happen.” .”
