‘I lost all respect’: Max Verstappen furious with George Russell after qualifying incident at Qatar Grand Prix
4 min read
Verstappen and Russell speak after qualifying. Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
Max Verstappen secured his ninth victory of the 2024 Formula One season at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, but his mood was far from celebratory after the race. The Red Bull driver was visibly upset with Mercedes’ George Russell, accusing him of attempting to “screw him over” after an incident during qualifying.
Verstappen had initially taken pole position on Saturday, but he was handed a rare one-place grid penalty after being judged to have driven unnecessarily slowly and impeding Russell during his qualifying lap. The stewards considered the situation “complicated,” as both drivers were on slow laps, rather than pushing hard for a fast lap. As a result of Verstappen’s penalty, Russell was promoted to P1 for the start of the race.
Despite the penalty, Verstappen made a strong start in the race, overtaking Russell and maintaining his lead throughout to secure victory. However, the qualifying incident clearly still weighed heavily on him after the race. In the post-race press conference, Verstappen expressed his frustration, stating that he had “lost all respect” for Russell.
“I think this is the first time that someone has been penalized for being slow on a slow lap,” Verstappen remarked. “I was just trying to be nice, but maybe I shouldn’t have been. At the end of the season, everything is decided, especially for me, so I didn’t want to disrupt anyone’s qualifying lap. But by trying to be considerate, I ended up with a penalty. And when I tried to explain this, it felt like I was talking to a brick wall.”
Verstappen further revealed his surprise and disappointment at the events, sharing his experience in the Stewards’ room. He expressed that, in all his years in racing, he had never encountered someone trying to “screw someone over that hard,” alluding to the way he felt Russell had handled the situation.
For his part, Russell had expressed his concerns after the qualifying incident, saying he was worried about potential damage to his car. The Mercedes driver explained how he had ended up in the gravel, causing him to fear for the integrity of his car. He also stated that Verstappen was “clearly going too slow,” claiming that he nearly collided with him while trying to navigate the track.
In the race, Verstappen’s former title rival Lando Norris made a strong attempt to challenge the Dutchman, hoping to catch him off guard at the restart. However, Verstappen held his ground and managed to keep Norris behind him. Norris was later handed a 10-second stop-go penalty for failing to slow down during a yellow flag period, which knocked him out of contention for a podium finish. He ultimately finished in 10th place.
As for Russell, he ended the race in fourth place, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finishing behind Verstappen in second and third, respectively. The race was full of drama, including three Safety Car periods, which contributed to the chaotic atmosphere. The first Safety Car was deployed after a collision between Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon, which caused Ocon to hit Franco Colapinto, eliminating both drivers from the race.
Later, a wing mirror from Alex Albon’s Williams car flew off, causing debris that resulted in punctures for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Russell’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The Safety Car was brought out again to clear the track. Hamilton’s race was further marred by penalties for two separate incidents—first, a five-second penalty for a false start, followed by a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane after suffering a puncture.
In the midst of all this, Zhou Guanyu had a breakthrough performance, finishing in 8th place and scoring his and Sauber’s first points of the season. The chaos of the race allowed the Chinese driver to secure a surprising result.
As the F1 season draws to a close, Verstappen’s dominant performance at Qatar has further cemented his reputation as the reigning champion. With only one race left, F1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the final Grand Prix of the season this weekend. The outcome of the race will not affect the championship standings, but it will offer one last opportunity for teams and drivers to make their mark in 2024. For Verstappen, however, the battle with Russell will likely remain a point of contention as he looks ahead to another dominant year.
About The Author
