Max Verstappen secured his fourth World Championship in Las Vegas two weeks ago and has since spoken to the press almost daily about his rollercoaster campaign. So, when Tom Clarkson asked him to reflect on his season once again ahead of the finale in Abu Dhabi, the Dutchman lost it.
“We had this chat already in Vegas. I still have the same opinion. I did a special press conference for it. I sat there, I was waiting, I wanted to go out and have a beer. I don’t want to answer the same questions again. They can watch it back,” Verstappen said.
The Red Bull driver was referring to the exclusive interview he gave to F1’s Lawrence Barretto immediately after securing his fourth title with a fifth-place finish in the Sin City. Verstappen talked at length about the challenges he and his team faced during this season—with an out of balance—RB20 and how they bounced back.
Max Verstappen on when being asked to reflect on 2024 : “We had this chat already in Vegas. I still have the same opinion. I did a special press conference for it. I sat there, I was waiting, I wanted to go out and have a beer. I don’t want to answer the same questions again.They can watch it back.”
byu/Task_Force-191 informula1
The 27-year-old had stated how it felt good to have some competition, especially after their 2023 dominance. A feeling that quickly turned to frustration when they weren’t able to tackle their rivals. He mentioned how the winless streak and their difficulties in solving the car’s handling issues were exasperating. Still, he was proud that the team figured out a way to defend his championship.
Naturally, repeating or rephrasing his previous statements for Clarkson’s question during the season finale press conference didn’t make sense to Verstappen. However, he was candid while addressing other topics— particularly his ongoing dispute with Mercedes’ George Russell.
Verstappen hits back in verbal battle with Russell
Mercedes and Russell organized a special press conference to address Verstappen’s comments about the #63 driver in Qatar. Verstappen had labeled Russell as two-faced, prompting the Briton to expose the Red Bull driver by revealing that he had threatened to put his head into the wall. This is something Verstappen didn’t take too kindly.
He stated that Russell had “exaggerated” his comments and accused him of behaving like a “bully,” primarily by insinuating things in a way that suits his own narrative.
| Max Verstappen claps back at George Russell who claimed he is a bully:
“Yes, but George is a backstabber. That he brings all this stuff up. He’s just a loser. He lies and pastes all kinds of things together that aren’t true.”
“I only gave my opinion about his behavior… pic.twitter.com/Dg6KSNM86o
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) December 5, 2024
The entire controversy that kicked off this verbal war was basically resolved on track in Qatar. Verstappen got back the lead of the race on the opening lap itself after serving his one-place grid penalty. After that, Russell fell back due to an early pit stop, which ruled him out of win contention.
But both drivers seem to have taken this tussle on a completely different tangent altogether.
