Red Bull Racing hits back at furious Russell with cheeky reply

After the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, tensions ran high between George Russell and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was upset with the Mercedes driver, believing Russell did everything he could to ensure the stewards would hand him a grid penalty.

Russell then responded to Verstappen’s comments in an interview at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He said of the Red Bull Racing driver: "He cannot deal with adversity. Whenever anything is not going his way, he lashes out with unnecessary anger and borderline violence. We've seen it in Brazil in the past with Ocon, you saw it in '21 with Lewis [Hamilton] and then Mexico with Lando [Norris]. First race of the year in Budapest, when he didn't have the most dominant car, he crashes into Lewis, slamming his whole team. That is not a guy who I respect."

Russell was engaged in a heated battle with his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in Montreal when, on Lap 31, his car came to a halt, forcing him to retire from the race. A frustrated Russell then threw his headrest out of the car.

Reacting to a comment on X that said, "George throwing the headrest is taking me out," Red Bull Racing’s official account responded with: "borderline something something," referring to George Russell’s aforementioned 2024 Abu Dhabi interview.

Throwing the headrest also earned the Briton a visit to the stewards after the race. He was fined €5,000 with immediate effect however, his punishment has been suspended for 12 months, meaning he does not have to pay up unless he commits a similar offence within the time period.

The stewards also acknowledged his apology. They wrote: "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 63, the team representative and reviewed video evidence. The driver explained that he was extremely frustrated having failed to finish the race, and expressed his embarrassment as what subsequently followed. He apologised to the Stewards for his action and acknowledged that it did not set a good example and offered to apologise publicly. The Stewards acknowledged this and accepted his apology."

As a result, Russell now trails Antonelli by 43 points in the drivers' standings after the fifth round of the 2026 season.