George Russell says Michael Masi would be ‘fearing for his life’ if Max Verstappen had lost 2021 F1 title

Russell hit back in his furious row with Verstappen in an extraordinary media session in Abu Dhabi

George Russell has slammed Max Verstappen’s behaviour and says former F1 race director Michael Masi would be “fearing for his life” if the Red Bull driver had lost the 2021 title in the manner Lewis Hamilton did.

In an extraordinary media session in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stood next to Russell and defended his driver amid his row with Verstappen – and labelled Red Bull boss Christian Horner a “yapping little terrier.”

Yet Russell, responding after Verstappen had accused the Brit of “lying” in the stewards room after their clash at the last race in Qatar, was determined to “set the record straight” ahead of the final race of the season.

Asked whether Verstappen’s behaviour has been enabled by the leniency of stewards in the past, Russell said: “He’s been enabled because nobody has stood up to him.

“Lewis did in 2021 and Lewis lost that championship unfairly. Could you imagine if the roles had been reversed and Max losing that championship in the manner Lewis lost that championship?

“[Michael] Masi would be fearing for his life.”

Hamilton infamously missed out on a record-breaking eighth title after the contentious decisions of former race director Masi at the season-finale in Abu Dhabi, with Verstappen the beneficiary and winning his first championship.

Russell also criticised Verstappen’s “personal attack” and stated the Dutchman “crossed a line” with his comments that he wanted to put the Mercedes driver’s “head into the f****** wall.”

“I’ve known Max for a long time, I know what he’s capable of,” Russell said.

“He said to me he’s purposefully going to go out his way, crash into me and put my f****** head in the wall.

Former F1 race director Michael Masi was sacked about the events of Abu Dhabi in 2021 (Getty Images)

“I knew that was a heat of the moment thing but when I went to see him at the drivers’ parade, when Carlos and Checo were there and we were joking around, I saw it in his eyes that he means it.

“He’s a four-time champion, when I compare his actions to the ones of Lewis. Lewis is the sort of world champion I aspire to be like, the way he fought Max in 2021, very hard and fair, but never beyond the line.”

Asked whether he will seek to talk to Verstappen this week at the Yas Marina Circuit, Russell replied: “I don’t need to talk to him at all, there’s nothing for me to say.

George Russell has struck back in his furious row with Max Verstappen (REUTERS)

“I’m an adult, I’m not losing any sleep over it whatsoever. It’s not the first time I’ve seen him like this, I’ve seen him like this in the go-kart paddock at 14. So this is just me sharing what happened really on Saturday night.

“I don’t know what there is to escalate. I walked into that stewards [room] with no problem with Max and out of it. Then s*** hit the fan and the words he said to me, I told my team and they laughed about it. I saw the fire in his eyes. I don’t know why this topic has got him so angry.

“As I said to you before, he cannot deal with adversity. He’s had the most dominant car in recent history for two and a half years, I’m not questioning his driving abilities one single bit but the second he doesn’t have the fastest car, in Budapest for example, he crashes into Lewis he slams his whole team and he loses the plot.

“Straight after that race, 25% of their engineering team were sending their CVs to Mercedes, McLaren, Aston Martin – because they said they can’t deal with a guy like that.

“Since Austria, he’s won the same amount of races as six other drivers. Is Max beatable? Of course he’s beatable. When he’s in the most dominant car, he’s not beatable. Same way as Lewis and I in Silverstone and I, we were not beatable either.”