Verstappen Loses Respect for Russell Over Qatar GP Grid Penalty Incident
Max Verstappen has expressed his disappointment in George Russell following the incident that led to his demotion from pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix. Despite winning the race, Verstappen stated he had “lost all respect” for his Mercedes rival.
After being crowned world champion for a fourth consecutive season in Las Vegas, Verstappen was penalized for “driving unnecessarily slowly” during qualifying, which the stewards attributed to an incident involving Russell. The decision resulted in a rare one-place grid penalty for Verstappen.
Verstappen passed Russell at the first corner of the race but was clearly unhappy with the circumstances surrounding the penalty. He noted, “I couldn’t believe that I got it… but at one point you have to just turn the page.”
The tension between the two drivers continued, with Verstappen claiming, “I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard.” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner commented that Verstappen’s frustration fueled his motivation during the race.
