F1 News
Russell snaps back at Verstappen: "Masi would be fearing for his life"
- Nicole Mulder
George Russell believes Max Verstappen's fierce criticism of him has come because "nobody has stood up" to the Dutchman. The Mercedes driver fully believes the four-time world champion would have deliberately put him into the wall, citing the bitter duel with Lewis Hamilton in 2021 as an example.
Russell: "Masi would be fearing for his life"
Russell believes that the reason why Verstappen has been so outspoken and unwavering both on and off track is that nobody responds to anything the Dutchman does, with Brit saying it was high time they did: "I think he's been enabled because nobody's stood up to him. Lewis stood up to him in 2021 and Lewis lost that championship unfairly," the 26-year-old Briton said in conversation with the likes of GPblog.
He goes on to add that then-race director Michael Masi - who was inundated by death threats after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - would not have been sure of his life had Verstappen been on the losing side of that championship. "Could you imagine the roles being reversed and Max losing that championship in the manner that Lewis lost that championship? Masi would be fearing for his life," Russell argues.
"So, as I said, some of the recent incidents, he has been punished and he punished himself. Mexico with the reckless overtakes, Budapest with the reckless overtake. But it's just in the past, he's had such a dominant car, he's not been in this position. I think the FIA are pretty on it now. I don't think much needs to change from their viewpoint because he's going to punish himself one way or another," he added.
Russell said Verstappen threatened to put him in the wall and said he had every reason to take the Dutchman at his word: "I knew that was a bit of a heat of the moment thing. But when I went to see him the next day at the driver's parade, I saw it in his eyes that he meant it. He's a four-time world champion! When I compare his actions to the ones of Lewis… Lewis is the sort of world champion who I aspire to be like," Russell concludes.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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