Max Verstappen slams George Russell following a controversial incident during the qualifying session for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion expressed his frustration after being penalized for driving “unnecessarily slowly,” a decision that resulted in him losing his pole position and subsequently sparked a war of words between the two drivers.
The incident unfolded during the qualifying session for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday, where Max Verstappen initially clocked a time that was just 0.055 seconds faster than George Russell’s.
However, as both drivers prepared for their final flying laps, Russell who was approaching quickly behind a slow Verstappen was forced to take evasive action to avoid a potential collision leading to an investigation by the stewards.
The situation prompted the Mercedes driver to voice his concerns over team radio, describing it as “super dangerous” and ultimately resulted in the recently crowned 2024 F1 World Champion receiving a one-place grid penalty.
Despite his earlier setback, the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix race itself saw Verstappen quickly reclaiming control. He overtook Russell at the first corner after starting from second place and went on to secure victory—his ninth win of the season.
Speaking in the post-race press conference, Max Verstappen slams George Russell for trying to “screw him over” and stated that he had “lost all respect” for his fellow competitor as he opened up on the discussion in the stewards’ room and slammed the way Russell went about the process.
“I couldn’t believe that I got it but in a way I was also not surprised anymore in the world that I live in,” Verstappen said. “I’m not happy with it, but at one point or another you have to just turn the page.
“It wasn’t very enjoyable to see that happen because I think that’s the first time that in a slow lap someone has been penalised. Actually, I just tried to be nice, so maybe I shouldn’t be nice. I didn’t want to screw anyone over to prepare their lap. And by doing that, being nice, basically you get a penalty.
“And that’s what I tried to explain as well, but I just felt like I was talking to a brick wall, so there’s not much that was possible for whatever reason. It was clear-cut that around me there were different scenarios going on as well, with people having colder tyres and stuff, so they have to push anyway.
“I didn’t want to then cause a scene into the last corner and for nobody to have a lap. I was quite surprised, when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on. It was honestly very disappointing, because I think all of us here, we respect each other a lot.
“I’ve been in that meeting room many times in my life and my career with people that I’ve raced. And I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect.”
In response to the penalty, George Russell found himself in pole position for the race, but he admitted that he was apprehensive about starting alongside Verstappen.
“To be honest, I was expecting a crash,” Russell said after the race. However, his concerns about contact with Verstappen were alleviated when he realized that the Red Bull star had made a straightforward move for the lead.
As the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix race unfolded, Max Verstappen quickly established dominance despite the earlier controversy. He maintained his lead throughout the event and ultimately crossed the finish line first, securing his ninth victory of the season.
“It was a dry win, and it has been quite a while for us,” the Dutchman said of his victory. “With that I am really happy, it felt like we were in that fight on pure merit. I have nothing to lose anymore, but I still want to try to win. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Meanwhile, Russell’s race was marred by a botched pit stop and a subsequent five-second penalty for falling too far behind during a safety car period, leaving him to finish in fourth place.
“There’s no concerns,” the British driver said. “We know Max is a fighter and is aggressive. I expect no difference.
“I really wanted to go out there and fight with him today like we could have done in the sprint. But yesterday in the sprint, he was probably two or three tenths behind us.
“Today, we were two or three tenths behind him. It just goes to show what a night can do in this sport. It’s always on a knife’s edge. It’s a shame we didn’t have the pace when it mattered.”
