Verstappen had never seen what he "experienced in the Steward's room"
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After the Stewards briefing last saturday, where Max Verstappen received a one place grid drop penalty after an "incident" with George Russell, the Dutchman, eventually the winner of the Qatar Grand Prix, stated that he was done with the British driver. Delving deeper into the matter, and asked if whether or not he regretted his previous statements, the Dutchman did not waiver as he issued an affirmation of the words that resonated throught the paddock last weekend.
Would Verstappen have done things differently in Qatar?
When asked if he regretted the way he spoke about Russell after he was issued a one place grid drop penalty in Qatar, Verstappen is adamant, given the right circumstance he would have said more. "No, no regrets at all because I meant everything I said. And it's still the same. If I had to do it again, maybe I would have said even more knowing the outcome of the race results", stated Verstappen while laughing.
"I still can't believe that someone can be like that in the stewards room", continued Verstappen bringing to the fore what it was up until now a rumour, Russell's attitude in the Steward's room before the FIA representatives issued their verdict last Saturday. "For me, that was so unacceptable because we're all racing drivers, we all have a lot of respect for each other. We even play sports together. You travel together. And of course you have moments where you get together, you crash or whatever, you're not happy. In my whole career, I've never experienced what I have experienced in the stewards room in Qatar. And for me, that was really unacceptable", Verstappen decisively added.
Asked if perhaps Russell's role as President of the Grand Prix Driver's Association (GPDA), the Dutchman is clear: "No, it has nothing to do with him being the director of the GPDA. I just never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly and lying about why I was doing what I was doing. But clearly it had an influence to them. It was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on there", the 4 Time World Champion closed.
This article was written with the assistance of Nicole Mulder
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