Max Verstappen has asserted he lost respect for George Russell following their incident during qualifying on Saturday in Qatar.
Verstappen was issued a one-place grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix after being deemed to have driven too slowly during Q3, with Russell forced to take avoiding action as he approached the rear of the Red Bull.
The penalty saw the duo swap positions on the front row, with Russell inheriting the lead spot on the starting grid.
However, it was Verstappen who prevailed in the race as he overtook Russell into the opening corner and controlled the race which was heavily disrupted by various safety cars.
Speaking after the grand prix, Verstappen took aim at Russell's actions in the stewards' room on Saturday night.
“I have a lot of respect for a lot of drivers, but after last night I completely lost that respect for him,” Verstappen told Viaplay.
“I just thought it was ridiculous how he tried to force a penalty on me. And I was heavily pissed at him for that.’”
Verstappen also accused the Mercedes driver of being two-faced, insisting he is a “different person” when in front of a camera.
“He always does it very nicely here in front of the camera, but then when you’re inside with him in person, it’s just a different person,” he added.
“I can't stand that and it's actually better for him to fuck off. I don't want to get involved in this.”
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