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GEORGE RUSSELL has revealed a shocking claim, stating that Max Verstappen threatened to “put his head in the f***ing wall” during the Qatar race.
The intensifying rivalry between the British driver and the Red Bull driver has escalated into a major controversy as the season finale in Abu Dhabi approaches this weekend.
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The dispute flared up during the recent race in Qatar when Verstappen was penalized with a one-place grid drop for driving “unnecessarily slowly” and obstructing Russell during qualifying.
Even though he secured pole in his first race as a four-time world champion, Verstappen began the race from second place but went on to claim victory.
Russell commented: “I’ve known Max for a long time, and I know his tendencies. He openly expressed his intent to ram me and put my f***ing head in the wall.
“While it was certainly a tense moment, the sincerity in his eyes when I approached him the next day made it clear he meant it.
“He is a four-time world champion, and when I compare his behavior to that of Lewis Hamilton, I see an example of the type of champion I want to be. Lewis fiercely competed against Max in 2021 but always raced fairly and kept within the rules.
“I have an eight-year-old nephew who just started go-karting and watches all my races.
“For a world champion to propose intentionally crashing into someone and putting their head in the wall is not the role model we should be looking up to.”
This season, Verstappen has been involved in multiple confrontations, including a notable incident in Budapest in July where he collided with Hamilton and clashed with his team over team radio.
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Russell continued: “The moment he no longer has the fastest car, like in Budapest, he crashes into Lewis, criticizes his entire team, and loses control.
“Immediately after that race, 25 percent of his engineering staff began submitting CVs to Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin because they felt they couldn’t work with someone like him.”
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“Lewis faced him head-on in 2021, and Lewis lost the championship unfairly. If the roles were reversed, just think about how Michael [Masi] would feel.”
Verstappen has reinforced his disparagement of the Mercedes driver, labeling him a “backstabber” and a “loser.”
He further accused the Mercedes racer of “lying” to influence the stewards’ judgment against him.
Verstappen remarked: “No [I don’t have any regrets]. I meant every word. I’ve never experienced such treatment from the stewards.
“I found his conduct completely inappropriate.
“It has nothing to do with him being the head of the drivers’ association [Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, of which Russell is a director]. He clearly lied about his actions and undoubtedly swayed the stewards.
“He’s a backstabber. It’s pointless to waste time discussing such people because they are nothing but losers.”
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff interrupted Russell’s press conference to call out Christian Horner as a “yapping little terrier” after the Red Bull team principal labeled the Brit as “hysterical.”
SunSport has reached out to the FIA for a statement regarding Russell’s allegations but has yet to receive a response.
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