The F1 season ends on Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Although the drivers posed in seemingly melted harmony on Thursday at the traditional closing dinner for the drivers, there has been no lack of excitement.
Left without a driver’s place for next season Valtteri Bottas settled the dinner bill and received a lot of thanks from other drivers on social media. Bottas said that the price came to a good 5,000 euros.
– You are a good man, Valtteri Bottas, wrote F1 on social channels.
In particular, Mercedes has been making headlines of George Russell and Red Bull Max Verstappen’s a war of words gone bad.
The BBC reportsthat Russell was the last to arrive at the dinner on Thursday night. There were two chairs left, both next to Verstappen.
Verstappen had said “hi, George” and gestured for Russell to sit next to him. Russell greeted, took the chair and moved with it to his stablemate Lewis Hamilton next to The situation is described as embarrassing.
Neither has the desire for reconciliation.
This is where the latest dispute started
Of course, the two have their history. After a crash in the Azerbaijan sprint in 2022, Verstappen called Russell “Princess George”. Russell found the tantrum “pathetic”.
Last weekend, the Qatari GP really flared up.
Verstappen received one grid penalty for slowing in front of Russell in qualifying. Verstappen lost his pole position to Russell and was grilled about how Russell had demanded a penalty in front of the jury.
Russell said that it is quite normal to intervene in competitors’ violations of the rules, as the Red Bull team constantly does. According to the British driver, there is nothing personal about it.
– It’s funny. Because even before I said a word in front of the jury, he was swearing at them. He was full of anger before I had even spoken.
Russell also finds it “ironic” that Verstappen questioned his integrity.
– Max has been bullying people for years. His driving skills cannot be questioned, but he cannot handle adversity.
The bigger picture?
One of the reasons for the flare-up of the war of words is considered to be the fiercely tightened competition situation in F1. Red Bull no longer dominates in its lofty solitude, but the top four teams – Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes – are deliciously even.
The confrontation between Russell and Verstappen is not uncommon in the F1 circus, although this season there had been a calm harmony.
Now in Abu Dhabi, other drivers are commenting on the duo’s advances with their tongues in the middle of their mouths.
McLaren’s Lando Norris saw that Mercedes, who have been in the doldrums in recent years, will do everything at any cost to undermine Red Bull. Norris also said that he enjoyed the duo’s banter.
Trouper Fernando Alonso does not subscribe to Verstappen’s claims of Russell’s “duplicity”. He praised Russell, but also understood Verstappen’s anger, as the penalties handed out by the jury are not consistent in Alonso’s opinion.
The BBC sees a wider context in the war of words. First, Verstappen has maintained a successful team that seemed to be on the verge of falling apart all season.
The season started team boss to Christian Horner with accusations of harassment. Verstappen’s father If and Horner have been on a roll. Designer genius Adrian Newey left the team and moved to Aston Martin with a giant contract.
Although Red Bull’s car has not been as strong as in previous seasons, amidst all the chaos, Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship in good time.
In his latest fiery speeches, Russell has emphasized that Verstappen is a great driver, but thinks he is above the rules when no one has dared to challenge him.
The background is, among other things, the events of this season’s Austin GP, when Verstappen brazenly drove his challenger Lando Norris off the track in overtaking attempts.
Sports expert Jukka Mildhin according to Verstappen’s actions revealed a deficiency in the rules of the FIA and the F1 series.
The F1 drivers, led by Russell, have demanded new, more precise rules for these rules. Russell said that “19 out of 20 drivers agree with the rule changes”. He didn’t have to tell who was on the different lines.
The battle between Red Bull and Mercedes has for a long time been as bitter as the last time at the end of the 2021 season, when Verstappen and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton twisted until the last round for the championship.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner called Russell “hysterical” after the Qatar GP. Now Mercedes team manager in Abu Dhabi Toto Wolff stuttering exceptionally joined the press conference alongside Russell:
– Why does he feel entitled to comment on my driver? Ridiculous little terrier, always something to say, Wolff charged in Horner’s direction.
Of course, the setup between Verstappen and Russell still cannot be compared to the iconic F1 duels – I’m far from it Ayrton Senna and Alain Prostin from times.
But the ingredients are there, if Russell and Verstappen end up driving from the same positions regularly in the tightened competition next season.
The F1 world lives on these setups and it makes its money from these.
Sources: Reuters, BBC, ESPN