F1 legend drops verdict on  Max Verstappen-George Russell war of words

Max Verstappen and George Russell got involved in a war of words after the Red Bull driver faced a one-place grid penalty ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix race last Sunday.

Following that, Verstappen had some stern criticism for the Mercedes driver, to which Russell replied ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As two of the leading F1 drivers got involved in a verbal spat, former F1 champion Damon Hill shared an interesting response,

The Qatar GP qualifying saw Verstappen claim pole position ahead of George Russell. However, stewards penalized Verstappen with a one-place grid penalty after they felt that he had blocked Russell during the Englishman's flying lap.

Despite the P2 start, Verstappen went on to win the race, but their spat didn't end. Verstappen opened up to the media about how Russell tried to convince the FIA stewards to go against the Dutchman.

Russell, meanwhile, alleged that Verstappen spoke about putting his head "into the wall" during the race, and how the Dutchman has been a long-time bully. Here's what Russell said in detail:

"What he was doing was pretty clear. He was going too slow. He was on the racing line and we all had the rules to follow and he didn't follow it," Russell told Sky Sports F1

"I find his comments pretty ironic when he comes out and says 'I'm going to purposely crash into you, I'm going to put you on your f****** head in the wall'. For me that is unacceptable and he's gone beyond the line here and I'm not going to accept it. So somebody's got to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control."

As Russell hit back at Verstappen, here's how Hill, a former F1 driver, reacted:

Damon Hill's Instagram story. Credit: Damon Hill on Instagram.

Hill took to Instagram to share the post of Russell replying to Verstappen:

"Oh boy. Fighting talk now."

Max Verstappen went on to win the race from P2. He snatched the lead from George Russell in turn 1 and was in control of the race throughout. The Mercedes driver finished n P4.

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What did Max Verstappen say about George Russell's comments?

During the Abu Dhabi Grand media day, Max Verstappen slammed George Russell for his statements:

"Yeah, but George is a backstabber. The way he brings up all this nonsense -- he's just a loser. He lies and cobbles things together that don't add up. I only voiced my opinion about his behavior with the stewards. Clearly, he couldn't handle that."

George Russell of Mercedes and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing - Source: Getty Images

Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth consecutive F1 title in Las Vegas this season, while George Russell is P6 of the drivers' championship with 235 points.