George Russell says Max Verstappen ‘can’t deal with adverse conditions’ after Qatar penalty controversy

Russell added: “I knew it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but the next day, we were joking around a bit with (Sergio) Pérez and Carlos (Sainz), I saw in his eyes that he meant it.

“He’s a four-time champion. Lewis (Hamilton) is the champion I want to be – tough but fair; never over the limit. That’s our duty as drivers.

“For a world champion to come out and say he’s going to go out of his way to hit somebody and put them over his head, that’s not the example we should be setting.”

In Qatar qualifying, both drivers tangled at Turn 12, forcing Russell onto the gravel.

Verstappen was penalized for driving unnecessarily slow and was found to be “significantly outside” the target time required for drivers when he was not on a flying lap.

The stewards supported Russell’s argument that Verstappen should not have been on the racing line if he was going slowly.

Afterwards, Verstappen said that he “never expected that someone would actually try to get a penalty so badly and actively lie about why I was doing what I was doing”.

On Thursday, Russell said he did not set out to give Verstappen a penalty.

“There’s no lying about it,” Russell said. “He was going very slow, he was on the racing line and in the high-speed corner. I wasn’t trying to get him a penalty. I was just trying to prepare my lap and you can get on the track and Work hard in stewardship.

“The same way Max asked his team to look at Lando (Norris’s) penalty under yellow flag the very next day. It’s not personal. It’s racing.”

Russell said: “I don’t know why this subject makes him so angry. He can’t deal with adversity. I’m not questioning his ability in the slightest. But as soon as he has the fastest car, Budapest “, he clashes with Lewis, criticizes his entire team, and loses the plot.”

Russell said, “People have been bullied by Max for years”, adding: “He’s been able to because no one stood up to him.

“Lewis stood in front of him in ’21 and unfairly lost the championship. Can you imagine the roles being reversed and Max losing that championship the same way Lewis lost it? (then race director Michael) Massey He must be fearing for his life.”

He further said, “I am not expecting any results from this, I am standing up for myself against the man who is questioning my reputation and criticizing me in the media.”

In an unusual move, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff attended Russell’s press conference and criticized Red Bull team principal Christian Horner for calling Russell “hysterical”, saying it “crossed a line”.

Wolfe said: “Why is he entitled to make comments about my driver? If you’re thinking about it, there’s always something to say, remembering the little terrier.

“His specialty is not intellectual psychoanalysis, but that’s quite a big word. How dare you comment on the mental state of my driver.”

Verstappen said on Thursday he had “no regrets” over his comments in Qatar.

“I meant everything I said,” Verstappen said. “And it’s still the same. If I had to do it again, I’d probably say even more, knowing the results of the race. I still can’t believe someone in the stewards’ room could do that.

“For me, it was very unacceptable because, I mean, we’re all racing drivers, we all respect each other a lot, we even play sports together, you know, you travel together, And of course, you have moments when you get together, you break up, you are not happy.

“In my entire career, I have never had what I experienced in the managers’ room in Qatar. And for me, it was really unacceptable.”