Mercedes, Russell venomous against Verstappen: “He threatened to smash my head against the wall”

Tensions were running high between George Russell and Max Verstappen following the incident at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Tensions were not just high, but extremely high between George Russell and Max Verstappen. The two, who had a heated argument after the qualifying session at the Qatar Grand Prix, certainly didn’t hold back, and the fallout continued all the way to Abu Dhabi. On Thursday at Yas Marina, the Mercedes driver shared with the press the behind-the-scenes details of what happened in Losail.

Here are his words: “The facts were clear, and he was going too slow, he was on the racing line and in the highest-speed corner: I wasn’t trying to get him a penalty at all, I was in pole position at that moment and just trying to prepare for my lap. As drivers, we fight hard on the track. Just like Max did the next day when he asked for a penalty for Norris. “.

Russell then added: “Before I even said a word to the stewards, he was already swearing. He was so angry even before I spoke. I don’t understand why he felt the need for such a personal attack, and I’m not going to accept it. I never intended to go after Max until he attacked me personally like that. So now I’m making things clear, I won’t just stand by and watch someone accuse me personally the way he did. .

“He told me he would deliberately crash into me, smashing my f***ing head into the wall. I thought it was a bit impulsive, but when I crossed paths with him at the Drivers’ Parade, I saw in his eyes that he was serious. And, you know, he’s a four-time world champion.

“If I compare his actions to Hamilton’s, well, Lewis is the type of world champion I aspire to be. I have an eight-year-old nephew who just started go-karting, who watches all my races: a world champion who says he’ll do whatever it takes to crash into someone isn’t the kind of role model we should be.” “.