Max Verstappen says his feud with George Russell will “sort itself out” after an extraordinary war of words ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Both men were the talk of the paddock heading into the final race of the season following an incident during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, with Russell accusing Verstappen of being “a bully” and threatening to intentionally hit him.
Verstappen denied the accusation during a briefing with Dutch media and launched further insults in Russell's direction, having previously sparked the row by claiming he had “lost all respect” for the Mercedes driver due to his conduct during the hearing of the Qatar sports commissioners. The world champion was demoted from pole position.
Russell turned down a potential first opportunity for reconciliation at a drivers' dinner in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening, during which he rejected an invitation to sit next to Verstappen.
However, the following evening, at the Grand Prix Drivers Association's end-of-season meeting, the pair posed together in the center of a group photo.
Former F1 driver Alex Wurz, who along with Russell is GPDA director, posted the photo on his X account with the caption: “Traditional GPDA end-of-season assembly. #RacingUnited. For our sport, our safety and our fans.”
After qualifying fifth for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen said Sky Sports F1: “At the GPDA, we can have our disagreements but we always fight for the same cause in the end.
“Everything will be fine. We have our disagreements now. I think it's important that we all go on vacation now and spend time with our family and friends.
“We'll do it again next year. It will take care of itself.”
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Max Verstappen says it's important to go on vacation and thinks his disagreement with George Russell will be resolved
Russell: Feud got more airtime than it deserved
Russell and Verstappen have known each other for more than a decade but have had few battles in F1 due to the different performances of their cars.
They came to blows during the 2023 Azerbaijan Sprint Grand Prix, which led to a debate immediately after the race.
Their recent controversy in Qatar almost overshadowed the final race weekend in Abu Dhabi, with Russell qualifying seventh behind Verstappen fifth.
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Sky Sports' Karun Chandhok analyzes how Max Verstappen pushed for Lando Norris to get a penalty for lifting at the Qatar Grand Prix and discusses whether the rule needs to change
“I don't even think about it. We have bigger and better things to worry about, which is racing, which is much more interesting,” Russell said. Sky Sports F1.
“It probably got a little more air time than it deserved. Ultimately, we wanted to show that we, as a group, [the GPDA]we are united, regardless of our personal opinions and we are all aligned on what we want from the sport, the FIA and F1.
“That was the message we wanted to show.”
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Red Bull boss Christian Horner has continued his criticism of George Russell after the Mercedes driver clashed with Max Verstappen last weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The row sparked heated remarks from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who took the opportunity to lash out at fellow team boss Christian Horner, calling him a ” little yapping terrier.”
Asked about Wolff's comments, Horner joked: “Is being called a terrier such a bad thing?”
“They're not afraid to take on the bigger dogs. I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf.”
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Craig Slater took a closer look at how the fallout from the Qatar penalty intensified between George Russell and Max Verstappen after George called the Red Bull driver a 'bully'.
Rosberg and Patrick on the Verstappen-Russell feud
Nico Rosberg, 2016 F1 world champion:
“It's a show of strength for George to stand his ground and stand up to Max. He doesn't have that.
“Max told him [allegedly]'I'm going to drive your head into the wall.' “Okay, show me what you’ve got then.” We love it.”
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George Russell hit back at 'bully' Max Verstappen after Qatar penalty fallout, saying someone needs to stand up to Red Bull driver
Danica Patrick, former IndyCar and NASCAR driver:
“Maybe what he sees is a little bit of this Lando-Max relationship and how Lando kind of submits to Max in one way or another.
“George says 'look, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to hold on.'
“It’s also the end of the season and you don’t need to see anyone for a while.”
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Lando Norris mocked Max Verstappen and George Russell's fallout following Red Bull driver's Qatar grid penalty, saying it was 'fun to watch'
Sky Sports F1 Abu Dhabi GP Live Schedule
Sunday December 8
7:10 a.m.: Third race of the F1 Academy
9:20 a.m.: F2 featured race
11:30 a.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: preparation for the Abu Dhabi GP
1 p.m.: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
3:00 p.m.: Checkered flag: reaction from the Abu Dhabi GP
4 p.m.: Ted’s notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday's race at 1pm. Get Sky Sports F1 or stream with NOW
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