Russell to "set record straight" after Verstappen's "personal attack"
F1 News
George Russell has snapped back and said he is "setting the record straight" about Max Verstappen and his comments made in Thursday's FIA press conference at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The two drivers came to blows after last weekend's Qatar Grand Prix, but after travelling to the season finale in the United Arab Emirates, the feud between them has only exacerbated.
During the penultimate race weekend of the season, Verstappen was given a one-place grid penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly during his cool-down lap in qualifying, impeding Russell and therefore being punished for dangerous driving. The Dutchman went on to win while Russell took P4, and after the race, Verstappen said that he "lost all respect" for the Brit because of the way he conducted himself in the stewards meeting.
The Red Bull Racing driver then doubled down on his words from Qatar in the press conference in Abu Dhabi, saying that he had "no regrets" with what he said. He also said that Russell was lying to the stewards so that Verstappen was penalised, and that it was "really unacceptable" for that to have happened.
Russell "not going to take" Verstappen criticism
Speaking to several media sources in the Yas Marina paddock, including GPblog, Russell was first asked if he had heard Verstappen's comments, which he had done, and he then responded robustly to them: "It’s funny, because even before I said a word in the stewards, he was swearing. He was so angry before I'd even spoken. And at the end of the day, there's nothing to lie about. The facts were the facts. He was going too slow. He was on the racing line in the highest-speed corner. I wasn't trying to get him a penalty at all when I was on track. I was in pole position at this time. I was just trying to prepare my lap.
"As drivers, you fight hard on track, you fight hard in the stewards, the same way as Max, the very next day, asked his team to look at Lando's penalty for the yellow flag. That's not personal Max to Lando. That's just racing. I do not see why he felt the need for this personal attack. I'm not going to take it," continued the Brit.
There may be little to no surprise that both drivers have differing stories from what happened in the stewards' room, but Russell continued on by saying that he was not angry with Verstappen, but that he will challenge the Dutchman for the comments that he made: "Things happen and people move on. We're adults and we're mature. Right now, it's not even something I'm thinking about. I never had the intention or had the intention to throw Max under the bus like this until he comes out and slams me so personally. This is not like I'm angry with Max. This is me just setting the record straight. I'm not going to stand here watching some guy slam me personally as he has done."
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