Max Verstappen had an unexpected tussle towards the end of the 2024 season with George Russell. It was at the Qatar GP, where the Dutchman allegedly impeded Russell, who reportedly pushed the stewards to penalize him. The resultant one-place grid penalty naturally did not please Verstappen and it stimulated a bitter war of words between the two drivers.
The conflict between Verstappen and Russell continued and amplified over the final two weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The four-time Champion called Russell a “two-faced” personality, to which the Mercedes driver responded by calling him a “bully”.
Russell felt that it was important to stand up to the Dutchman, who had developed the reputation of being a rather aggressive driver. Russell and his team principal Toto Wolff called for a private presser ahead of the season finale to further make some staunch comments about Verstappen’s behavior. The Red Bull driver and his team principal Christian Horner too did not hold, throwing jabs at Wolff and Russell.
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Nevertheless, Verstappen insisted on the same weekend that the duo would eventually sort out their issues and get over this argument that began in Lusail. In a recent interview with Swiss publication Blick, the 27-year-old has commented on how he did not bother himself too much. “[It took] one night [to move on], because it’s no use carrying the anger into the next day,” the 27-year-old admitted.
With the season now over and all drivers on a break, it is possible that Russell too will cool down before the 2025 season gets underway in February.
Have Verstappen and Russell buried the hatchet already?
Verstappen and Russell’s peers had enjoyed the off-track incident as an additional narrative to conclude the season. They made an attempt to induce a truce between the two at their annual end-of-season driver dinner in Abu Dhabi.
Liam Lawson revealed how all the other drivers filled up every seat on the table except for the one next to Verstappen, hoping that Russell would sit there. Verstappen too, was in on the plan.
However, Russell, who arrived last, moved his chair away from Verstappen to take it next to his outgoing teammate Lewis Hamilton, much to the disappointment of the others, who were looking to engage in some banter involving the duo.
Whether Verstappen and Russell are over what happened or are still holding some grudge remains unknown. It would be interesting to see if this small fight instigates a bigger rivalry in 2025.
