Tensions are running high in Abu Dhabi as Formula 1's longest season nears its conclusion, with Max Verstappen and George Russell locked in a heated feud following their Qatar GP clash.
The fallout from their spat has carried over to the Yas Marina paddock, drawing the attention of team bosses and other drivers. McLaren's Lando Norris, meanwhile, is amused by the drama.
"Yes, the two you're thinking about were sat as far away from each other as possible," Norris quipped on Instagram, sharing a photo from an end-of-season dinner attended by the drivers.
The feud intensified when Russell revealed Verstappen had threatened him ahead of the Qatar GP. Verstappen, in turn, accused Russell of lying to the stewards to have him demoted from pole position.
"I find his comments pretty ironic when he comes out and says, 'I'm going to purposefully crash into you, I'm going to put you on your fu*king head in the wall'," Russell said.
Russell, who is also a senior director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, labelled Verstappen a "bully" and vowed to stand his ground.
"You have to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control," he said. He even claimed Verstappen had tried to oust Red Bull boss Christian Horner earlier this year and suggested a significant portion of Verstappen's engineering team had sent out CVs.
"Can you imagine Max losing the title in the way Lewis (Hamilton) lost it (in 2021)?" Russell asked. "(Michael) Masi would be fearing for his life."
Verstappen fired back, calling Russell a "backstabber" and "loser." He added, "I'll probably bring some tissues for him next time."
The feud has also embroiled team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff, who have a history of animosity. Horner referred to Russell as "hysterical" in Qatar, prompting Wolff to respond.
"How dare you speak like that about my driver's state of mind?" Wolff said, interrupting Russell's media session. "When the other team boss describes George as hysterical, that's crossing a line for me."
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya weighed in, arguing that Verstappen had psychologically outplayed Russell in Qatar.
"Even George said he thought there would be a crash. So, in his head, he gave up as soon as the lights went out," Montoya explained.
"But I think if it was Hamilton, he could have lived with a crash. That's why Lewis has seven titles, Max has four titles, and the rest have nothing.
"George won't risk a crash, and neither will Lando Norris. But someone like Oscar Piastri or Carlos Sainz might. Fernando Alonso for a race win, for sure. Charles Leclerc? No, he'd just complain over the radio about how unfair it is, just like Lando. It's just their nature."
