Max Verstappen’s aggressive persona on the track has become common knowledge within the F1 paddock. It has taken a back seat in the last few years amid his dominance. But last weekend at the Qatar GP, fans saw a return of the same, as the four-time world champion publicly lashed out at George Russell after receiving a one-place grid drop for the Grand Prix.
Verstappen was penalized for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding the Mercedes driver. While many thought that the #1 driver had overreacted — saying he’s lost all respect for Russell — Guenther Steiner believes that Verstappen‘s frustrations are understandable.
On the Red Flags podcast, the former Haas F1 team boss said that generally, when summoned to the stewards, the drivers don’t speak much, rather, it is the team managers that argue the matter at hand. Russell’s lobbying for his penalty thus, caught the Dutchman by surprise.
“That’s why I think Max [Verstappen] was surprised and upset. Because that’s what the drivers normally don’t do. They are not going in there to have another driver over because then they are out on the track together,” he explained.
Russell’s participation in the stewards’ room proved consequential for the Red Bull driver. Russell was promoted to pole and Verstappen started right behind him. However, on the very first lap and at the first corner, Verstappen took the lead back and never looked back — bagging his ninth win of the season.
Verstappen-Russell feud to continue at Abu Dhabi
This back-and-forth between Verstappen and Russell has not ended since the Qatar GP weekend. It has now spilled over into the season finale happening at the Yas Marina Circuit this weekend.
According to ESPN’s Nate Saunders, Russell has accused the Dutchman of being a bully. Moreover, as it turns out, Verstappen had threatened the Mercedes driver that he would put his “head in the wall,” as per Russell.
Even the respective team principals have now been dragged into this dispute. After Christian Horner blamed Russell’s involvement in Verstappen’s penalty, Toto Wolff slammed the 51-year-old by dubbing him a “yapping little terrier,” as per The Race.
