Max Verstappen was left extremely frustrated and angry with George Russell after being handed a one-place grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix. The penalty demoted the Dutchman from pole position, a decision that Russell reportedly influenced during a stewards’ meeting.
Verstappen, clearly upset, lashed out at the Mercedes driver after winning the Grand Prix on Sunday. While his sharp words grabbed headlines, Ruth Buscombe Divey, a well-respected voice in Formula 1, wasn’t surprised by the incident.
Speaking on The Fast and the Curious podcast, she explained how drivers often have ‘political agendas’ when discussing issues with stewards. “The thing is, the drivers’ briefings are private… they’re private so that drivers can raise concerns, qualms, kind of bring up points,” Buscombe shared.
“There is always a political agenda from drivers in terms of trying to get things changed to the way they want them or not. Like there’s certain drivers that are always more vocal in these meetings, of which, George is always one of them,” she added.
Max Verstappen on George Russel:
“He always does it very nicely here in front of the camera, but then when you’re inside with him in person, it’s just a different person,
I can’t stand that and it’s actually better for him to fuck off. I don’t want to get involved in this.” pic.twitter.com/8A3b7uVXls— Laura (@formuLau16) December 1, 2024
Verstappen’s comments about Russell being “two-faced” highlights how the tension that can rise between drivers behind closed doors. On one hand, the Briton appears composed and polite in front of the cameras, but the #1 driver claims he’s much different in private discussions with stewards.
However, Buscombe’s insights suggest that this kind of behavior isn’t limited to just one driver—Formula 1 is a competitive environment where every driver is looking for an edge.
Verstappen himself played a part in ruining the race for Lando Norris
Interestingly, Verstappen himself displayed similar behavior during the race. He alerted Red Bull when he noticed Lando Norris failing to slow down under double yellow flag conditions as the Briton got much closer to him all of a sudden.
This led to Norris receiving a severe 10-second stop-and-go penalty, which ruined the McLaren driver’s chances of fighting the Dutch driver for the win. The FIA defended the penalty, explaining that it adhered to safety guidelines issued earlier in the year, emphasizing why such offenses carry heavy penalties.
An extreme penalty but the right one. You just simply cannot fail to lift for yellows.
Unfortunately another error that’s made the difference in a Verstappen vs Norris fight.
Still don’t think Norris will beat Max in 2025 without a *much* better car.
pic.twitter.com/cYG4S28yl5— Josh (@joshuasuttill) December 1, 2024
Formula 1 drivers are understandably selfish because they are competing at such a high level. And while Verstappen’s anger over Russell pushing for his grid penalty is understandable, it seems a little over the top when viewed in the context of Verstappen’s own actions during the race.
