After his win in Qatar last weekend, Max Verstappen unleashed one of the most brutal attacks ever seen in the history of F1 against Mercedes driver George Russell. But George Russell isn’t taking the slander lying down. He’s aiming the cannon right back at the four-time world champion.

Ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, George Russell didn’t hold back when addressing comments made by Max Verstappen. In a candid media session, Russell countered what he described as complete mischaracterizations, bullying, and outright disrespect from the reigning champion.

Russell fires back at Max Verstappen

This all came off the back of a one-place grid drop penalty handed to Verstappen in Qatar for “impeding” Russell after the former claimed pole. Only 0.055 seconds separated the two childhood rivals. The pair were summoned to the stewards and after the pair presented their respective cases, Verstappen was livid at the extent Russell went to get the Red Bull driver a penalty. The Dutchman “lost all respect” for a supposedly “two-faced” Russell as he said to the media, “I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard”.

George Russell wasn’t about to let Verstappen’s accusations go unanswered. Speaking to the media, Russell laid out a detailed critique of Verstappen’s behavior, starting with an alleged private threat made by Verstappen after the Qatar stewards’ hearing. “I find it all quite ironic considering Saturday night he said he’s going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and, quote, ‘Put me on my f***ing head in the wall,’” Russell revealed. “To question someone’s integrity while saying comments like that is, frankly, laughable.”

Russell accused Verstappen of being unable to handle competitive setbacks, highlighting incidents from previous seasons as evidence of a troubling pattern. “People have been bullied by Max for years now. Whenever anything goes against him — Jeddah 2021, Brazil 2021 — he lashes out,” Russell said. He also referenced Verstappen’s public criticism of his own Red Bull team during difficult moments earlier in the 2024 season.

What Russell refers to here are two massive incidents involving Max Verstappen from the controversial 2021 situations. While the incident in Brazil saw no involvement from the FIA, Jeddah was different. In a game of letting Hamilton go and serve his penalty, Max Verstappen strategically tried to get DRS. In the ensuing chaos, he slowed down to an extent where Hamilton crashed into him, leaving the Dutchman with a penalty. Following both incidents, Max Verstappen’s style of racing came under questioning, as fans felt his moves were too erratic.

Calling Verstappen’s comments “disrespectful and unnecessary,” Russell made it clear that he had no intention of reconciling with the Dutchman. “I’ve got no interest in making amends. He’s the one with the problem, not me,” Russell said. The irony here? All season long, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been trying to bring Verstappen to the Silver Arrows, publicly expressing interest in the Dutchman. Now, with Antonelli in the other Merc seat, if Verstappen does take up the Mercedes opportunity, will he oust Russell from his seat?

On the other hand, Max Verstappen had a different perspective on his public battle with George Russell.

Verstappen isn’t budging

Max Verstappen, however, refused to back down, standing by his incendiary remarks and justifying his reaction as a response to Russell’s actions in Qatar. “No regrets at all,” Verstappen said in the lead-up to Abu Dhabi. “If I had to do it again, maybe I’d have said even more, knowing the outcome of the race results.” The reigning champion remained adamant that Russell’s behavior in the stewards’ room was unacceptable, calling it a betrayal of the mutual respect drivers should share. “We’re all racers; we’ve all been in tight battles. But I’ve never seen someone try to screw another driver over that hard,” Verstappen said.

This isn’t the first time the two have clashed. Their rivalry dates back to an infamous incident during the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race, where Russell made contact with Verstappen, leaving the Red Bull driver fuming and calling him a “d—head” in a heated post-race exchange. Conversely, the two have also shown flashes of mutual respect, as seen in their clean, hard-fought battles during the 2022 and 2024 Spanish Grands Prix, to name a few.

Despite these moments, the underlying tension has been evident. Verstappen’s dominance during the 2022 and 2023 seasons has given way to a much more competitive field in 2024, with Russell among the drivers pushing him harder than ever. Russell pointed out that since Austria, Verstappen has won the same number of races as himself, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc — proof, Russell argued, that Verstappen’s aura of invincibility is tied to his machinery.

As the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix approaches, whatever your view of the Verstappen-Russell feud, this blossoming rivalry is one that will define this generation of F1. With neither driver willing to back down, the paddock is bracing for fireworks — both on and off the track. As the two continue their bickering, let it not overshadow an already intense season finale which will decide the fate of the constructors title between McLaren and Ferrari.