Max Verstappen was highly critical of George Russell for his actions that led to a qualifying penalty costing Verstappen the pole position in the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix. He stated, "I've never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard."

The Controversial Incident in Formula 1

Details of the Incident

Verstappen was demoted from first to second on the Lusail grid, but it only mattered in terms of his pole numbers as he immediately overtook Russell at Turn 1 on the first lap and went on to win the race. The penalty was given for driving unnecessarily slowly when Russell went off to avoid him, even though neither was on a flying lap at the time. 1: This incident was peculiar as both Russell and Verstappen were not on flying laps. Verstappen felt he was trying to get out of the way of other cars as he knew he wasn't going for a flying lap two corners later. But Russell approached the kink heading to the final corner at a much higher speed as he was preparing for a flying lap and had to go off track. 2: Verstappen was quite surprised when sitting in the stewards' room and found the whole situation very disappointing. He said he has always respected his rivals but this incident made him lose all respect. He tried to explain his actions but felt like he was talking to a brick wall.

Verstappen's Perspective

Verstappen believed he was just trying to be nice and not screw anyone over at the end of the season when everything was more or less decided. But by doing so, he got a penalty. He also mentioned that there were different scenarios going on around him with people having colder tyres and having to push anyway. 1: He was focused on his own race pace and the safety of himself and other competitors. But Russell's actions led to this unexpected penalty. It was a very surprising situation for him. 2: Verstappen felt that he spoke about valid reasons for what happened and it was clear that there were other factors at play. He didn't want to cause a scene in the last corner and ruin everyone's lap.

The Race's Take

Jack Benyon from The Race believes Verstappen's reaction might be unpopular. He wasn't in the room and doesn't know exactly what was said by Russell. But he points out that in every session and grand prix, drivers often try to get penalties for their rivals by pointing out things. 1: Verstappen himself has also tried to get other drivers penalized in the past. For example, during the Qatar GP, he was trying to get Lando Norris penalized for not slowing down under a yellow flag. 2: Maybe the way Russell campaigned for Verstappen to get a penalty really irked him. But it seems similar to what Verstappen does in other races. Is there really a big difference between giving an honest answer to a steward and complaining on the radio? It's a matter of perspective.