Mercedes star hits back at Verstappen in astonishing 'BULLY' claim

Mercedes Formula 1 star George Russell has branded Max Verstappen a 'bully' in an astonishing claim.

Whilst Verstappen secured his ninth win of the season at the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, the main talking points centred around his altercation with Russell.

READ MORE: F1 team announce OFFICIAL signing of new American driver

The four-time world champion received a one-place grid penalty for driving too slowly in qualifying, as the Brit expressed his displeasure in the stewards' room after the session.

Russell subsequently inherited pole position from a penalised Verstappen, but lost his lead on the opening lap at the Qatar GP.

George Russell and Max Verstappen feud makes fresh twist

Verstappen then insisted he had lost all respect for his Mercedes counterpart, accusing him of lobbying for the penalty, with the pair embroiled in an ongoing war of words since Sunday's race.

The feud shows no signs of ending any time soon, after Russell slammed the four-time world champion in front of the media gathered at Yas Marina.

“I find it all quite ironic seeing as Saturday night he said he was going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and ‘put me on my f****** head in the wall’," said the 26-year-old.

“So to question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find is very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.

“People have been bullied by Max for years now, and you can’t question his driving abilities. But he cannot deal with adversity.

"Whenever anything has gone against him - Jeddah ’21, Brazil ’21 - he lashes out.

"Budapest this year, the very first race the car wasn’t dominant, crashing into Lewis, slamming his whole team…

READ MORE: Audi announce NINE-FIGURE sale of team stake to state group

“For me, those comments on Saturday night and Sunday were totally disrespectful and unnecessary, because what happens on track, we fight hard, that’s part of racing.

"What happens in the stewards’ room, you fight hard, but it’s never personal. But he’s taken it too far now.

“He said: ‘I don’t know why you would want to screw me like this, I’m so disappointed in you. I was going to not even race you tomorrow, I was going to let you by, but now if I have to, I will purposely go out of my way to put you on your f****** head in the wall'.

“So I don’t understand why he was so unnecessarily aggressive and violent in that regard.”

Later, Russell told Sky Sports in the media pen: "I've known Max for 12 years. I respected him all this time but now I have lost respect him. We are all fighting on track and it's never personal.

"Now he's made it personal and someone needs to stand up to a bully like this."

READ MORE: New FIA F1 chief sends new rule warning to drivers and teams

Related

F1 Social

Verstappen thrashed by F1 rivals in season-long competition

• December 24, 2024 23:00

F1 News & Gossip

Verstappen reveals plans for F1 break after pregnancy announcement

• December 23, 2024 04:00