George Russell brands Max Verstappen a 'bully' in explosive response as F1 row turns nasty
Watch now: GB News' sports round-up
George Russell has lashed out at Max Verstappen in retaliation to the Red Bull driver calling him 'two-faced' after dramatic scenes at last week's Qatar Grand Prix.
Verstappen heavily criticised Russell for his role in the newly-crowned four-time world champion receiving a grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix.
Russell took pole as a result of Verstappen's penalty, which he was given for driving unnecessarily slow in qualifying.
Verstappen went on to win Sunday's race from second on the grid and said after the Grand Prix that he 'lost all respect' for Russell after what transpired over the weekend.
George Russell has called Max Verstappen a bully
SKYSPORTS
But Russell has responded furiously to Verstappen's comments and claims his rival threatened him privately.
"I've known Max for 12 years and I've respected him all this time but now I've lost respect for him because we're all fighting on track and it's never personal," Russell fumed.
"Now he's made it personal and someone needs to stand up to a bully like this.
"So far, people have let him get away with murder."
He added: "I find his comments pretty ironic when he comes out and says 'I'm going to purposely crash into you, I'm going to put you on your f****** head in the wall'.
"For me that is unacceptable and he's gone beyond the line here and I'm not going to accept it.
"So somebody's got to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control."
Russell continued his extraordinary attack on Verstappen in front of a select group of media where he used the example of Lewis Hamilton's controversial battle with Verstappen in 2021.
George Russell and Max Verstappen do not see eye-to-eye
REUTERS
“Lewis stood up to him in 2021, and Lewis lost that championship unfairly," he added.
"Could you imagine the roles being reversed? I mean, [Michael] Masi would be fearing for his life.
“Lewis is a world champion who I aspire to be like, and I think he is a gold standard of a role model that younger kids should be looking up to.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Max Verstappen was not happy with George Russell pushing for him to receive a penalty
REUTERS
“And the way Lewis dealt with that championship fight, he was hard, he was aggressive, he was always respectful, and he never went beyond the line.”
Verstappen refused to back down from his comments in Qatar when he spoke to the media earlier in the day.
"No regrets at all because I meant everything I said, and it's still the same," said Verstappen.
"If I had to do it again, maybe I would have said even more, knowing the outcome of the race result.
"I still can't believe that someone can be like that in the stewards' room. For me that was so unacceptable because, I mean we're all racing drivers, we all have a lot of respect for each other, we even play sports together, you travel together."
You may like
