Inside very awkward F1 end-of-season dinner with Verstappen and Russell ‘sat as far away from each other as possible’

MAX Verstappen and George Russell were sat as “far away from each other as possible” during the F1 driver’s end-of-season dinner.

The Red Bull and Mercedes pair have been locked in a bitter war of words with Russell accusing the four-time champ of being a “bully”.

Russell claimed that Verstappen threatened to purposefully go out of his way to crash into him and “put my f***ing head into the wall”. 

It reportedly occurred during a heated private exchange following a controversial decision from the stewards last week.

World champ Verstappen was furious at being demoted a place from pole position for driving “unnecessarily slowly” as they prepared for their final flying laps in qualifying in Qatar.

The Dutchman later accused the Brit of “exaggerating” and being two-faced for the evidence he gave to the stewards.

But the two were forced into close proximity in what was sure to be an awkward and tension-filled end-of-season dinner ahead of the final race weekend of the calendar in Abu Dhabi.

In a post on Instagram, Norris confirmed the pair were kept away from each other to avoid any face-to-face conflict at the meal.

The McLaren ace shared an image of all 20 drivers smiling at the camera alongside the caption: “2024 dinner! And yes, the two you’re thinking about were sat as far away from each other as possible.”

In the comments, Verstappen hinted at the “beef” between himself and Russell by posting a steak emoji.

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

The Mercedes driver shared the picture to his own accounts but made no reference to the elephant in the room, simply captioning it: “Class of 24.”

Verstappen and Russell were all smiles in the image and were separated by five of their colleagues at the plush restaurant.

Lewis Hamilton was tucked away in the corner next to Charles Leclerc, who will be his team-mate at Ferrari next season.

And Russell shared an image of the dinner on his Instagram, where he revealed that former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas picked up the tab.

Perhaps a loaded revelation, as tradition states that the world champ must foot the bill.

Just hours earlier, Russell told reporters: “I find it all quite ironic considering Saturday night he said he’d purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and, quote, ‘Put my f***ing head in the wall.’

“So to question somebody’s integrity as a person while saying comments like that the day before, I find very ironic.

“I’m not going to sit here and accept it. People have been bullied by Max for years now.

“And you can’t question his driving abilities but he cannot deal with adversity.

Lewis stood up to him in 2021 and lost that championship unfairly.

George Russell

“Whenever anything has gone against him, Jeddah ‘21, Brazil ‘21, he lashes out.

“For me, those comments on Saturday night and Sunday were totally disrespectful and unnecessary because what happens on track – we fight hard – it’s part of racing.

“What happens in the stewards’ room, you fight hard, but it’s never personal.

“He’s a four-time champion. Lewis is the champion I aspire to be – hard but fair; never beyond the line. We have a duty as drivers.”

The meal, which was the last one to be organised by Hamilton as a Mercedes driver, is held every year to commemorate the end of the campaign ahead of the final race at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Russell, 26, added: “The second he does not have the fastest car, he crashes into Lewis, slams his team and loses the plot.

“Straight after, 25 per cent of his engineering team were sending CVs because they said they can’t deal with a guy like that.

“Lewis stood up to him in 2021 and lost that championship unfairly.

“Can you imagine Max losing the way Lewis lost it? [Former race director Michael] Masi would be fearing for his life.”

Verstappen was crowned a four-time world champ after clinching the 2024 title with a fifth-placed finish at the Las Vegas GP, before winning in Qatar over the weekend.

The 27-year-old has also just announced he is expecting a baby with partner Kelly Piquet.

Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk