Russell Verstappen feud criticised: 'Christ's sake, we don't need this'

Eddie Jordan has criticised both George Russell and Max Verstappen for allowing their feud to continue after the traditional drivers' dinner.

A war of words broke out between the two in Abu Dhabi, days after Verstappen was stripped of pole in Qatar after stewards determined he had blocked Russell in qualifying, despite both being on slow laps. 

In Abu Dhabi, Russell claimed Verstappen told him he would put him "on his f***ing head in the wall" at Turn 1, with the world champion accusing Russell of lying to the stewards to engineer the penalty.

Team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner also got involved, with Wolff lambasting Horner over his claim Russell was "hysterical".

With most drivers meeting for the traditional end-of-season dinner later that day, Russell and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton arrived later than others.

Russell, it is claimed, turned down the chance to sit next to Verstappen, a position that drew the ire of former team boss Jordan.

"The drivers had their dinner and decided to play a little game on George because they knew he'd be late," he said on his Formula for Success podcast.

"They took their seats with one empty one beside Max and when George came in, he realised he'd been gazumped, and not feeling the moment for jocular activities, decided it was embarrassing.

"There was a great opportunity to sit down with Max and say, 'This is too much', but he picks up the chair, walks around the table and goes and barges and muscles in beside Lewis.

"I think that was an opportunity missed. I would reach out to George and Max and say, 'Christ's sake, we don't need this, go and shake hands, have a pint together, laugh about it and move on'."

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Jordan on Russell vs Verstappen

Jordan also opined about what had happened in the Qatar stewards' room, believing Russell was both in the right and the wrong with how it is claimed he managed the situation. Verstappen claimed the Briton had over-reacted in front of the panel.

"Here's my take: when I go to a stewards' room, and when I'm lying like hell to the steward in the hope that they might believe me or I have reasonably firm evidence, which I seldom did, I'd be bluffing my way through everything I could think of," he added.

"I would expect a driver to shut the f*** up. It's not his business. He's the driver and it is like he didn't matter, but he needs to be there because he's a witness.

"Why George felt the need to change that, [I'm not sure] as it is the team manager's role, but obviously he felt the need to speak. 

"I'm not taking sides here because I'm sure Max did say [he'd put Russell in the wall], but thinking back to my Formula 3 days, how many people did you tell, 'If you f***ing come near me, I'm going to turn you over?'

"I've said it to hundreds, so it is a common language between racing drivers because they have to know you mean business."