Max Verstappen calls George Russell ‘an idiot’ as row reignited at Qatar GP
Max Verstappen was left furious with George Russell in qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix as tensions flared between the pair yet again. The Dutchman managed to grab pole position at the Lusail International Circuit despite initially looking to be under threat when Lewis Hamilton topped the standings in Q2.
Verstappen will be joined on the front row of the grid by Russell, who climbed up the order thanks to a post-race track limits penalty for Lando Norris. Hamilton, meanwhile, will start from third after Oscar Piastri was dropped to sixth for the same offence as his McLaren team-mate.
There was a tense moment between Verstappen and Russell in the early stages of the session, with the Mercedes driver appearing to hold up his Red Bull rival during Q1. It sparked an angry response from Verstappen, who fumed over his team radio: “What an idiot!”
Russell managed to avoid being given a penalty despite blocking Verstappen, which means that he will keep second place on the grid and line up on the front row on Sunday. The man from King’s Lynn will be desperate to give Verstappen a serious challenge when the five red lights go out, although it remains to be seen if Mercedes will be able to keep up with the pace of Red Bull over the 57-lap contest.
The blocking incident in Qatar came after Verstappen and Russell exchanged angry words at this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix following a tangle on track in that weekend’s sprint. Verstappen ended up finishing third and was left in a foul mood after an early clash with Russell put a gaping hole in the sidepod of his Red Bull car.
He immediately confronted Russell in the aftermath of the sprint and did not mince his words as he shouted: “We all have no grip, we all need to leave a little bit of space. Expect the same next time, d***head.”
Russell went on to bite back at Verstappen in his post-session interview in Baku by accusing his rival of throwing a temper tantrum, telling Sky Sports F1: “It was all a little bit pathetic. I think something you learn as a kid is if you’re going to give something you’ve got to be willing to take it as well.
“He’s had his fair share of giving moves like that and being tough and hard at racing and it’s a little bit poor to see how he sort of spat his dummy out when it was the first time he probably got something back in the same regard.”
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