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Max Verstappen gave a cryptic response to Lando Norris' Instagram caption on his 2024 drivers' dinner post. Norris' caption was cheeky and fun, hinting indirectly at the ongoing verbal battle between Verstappen and George Russell.
Russell and Verstappen have been in an indirect tussle since the Qatar GP, when the latter accused Russell of being 'two-faced'. Verstappen also said that Russell insisted on giving him a grid penalty after the qualifying session. The two have been speaking to the media heading into Abu Dhabi, with Russell accusing Verstappen of bullying drivers in the past. He also claimed that the Red Bull driver threatened to crash into him during the race.
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The season-ending drivers' dinner was held amidst this brutal debate. While most of the drivers shared the picture from the dinner with a heartwarming message, Lando Norris dropped this caption:
"2024 dinner! and yes, the two your thinking about were sat as far away from each other as possible"
While this caption was already giving fans a good laugh, Max Verstappen added to the hysteria by dropping a comment under the post, hinting towards the "beef" going on between the drivers.
Max Verstappen on what he "can't stand" about George Russell
During the build-up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, George Russell claimed Max Verstappen threatened to "put me on my f***ing head in the wall." When asked about the same, the Red Bull driver mentioned that Russell was "exaggerating."
"That's not true; I didn't say it like that," Verstappen told the media. "He's exaggerating again."
He further mentioned that he couldn't stand that Russell "attacked" him during the session with the stewards and allegedly came back to him the next day with seemingly friendly intentions.
"Do you know what I can't stand? The way he attacks me unacceptably with the stewards and then acts like nothing happened the next day, patting me on the shoulder. I think, 'Stay away from me.' He invents all sorts of nonsense. With me, you always get the same: here, at home, with the stewards -- I don't change. You can't say the same about everyone. But I'm not surprised by him."
George Russell had claimed that Verstappen impeded him during the qualifying session of the Qatar Grand Prix, which was the initial trigger of this debate. In the stewards room, Verstappen mentioned that Russell was rapacious to penalize him. In the end, the RBR driver was given a one-place grid penalty and he started the race P2, alongside Russell. He managed to overtake the driver in the first corner.
