After the driver dispute

Wolff attacks Horner: “How dare he …”

Quarrels between team bosses: Toto Wolff (left) and Christian Horner

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It's not just George Russell and Max Verstappen who are in the mood to argue, their team bosses are also exchanging verbal blows. "How dare he say that about my driver?" Toto Wolff hit back after Christian Horner called Russell hysterical.

Tensions between Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and his Mercedes rival George Russell have come to a head ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. Red Bull star Verstappen added to the dispute on Thursday and accused Russell of lying. The Briton in turn told several media outlets that Verstappen had threatened to "deliberately drive into me and put my head in the wall" before the race in Qatar last week.

Max Verstappen (l.) is disappointed with George Russell (r.).

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The Mercedes driver was reacting to comments made by the Dutchman in the race stewards' room after an incident during qualifying last week. Verstappen had lost his pole position in Lusail due to a penalty for impeding Russell in qualifying. After Verstappen won the race, he accused Russell of being underhand in an interview for Dutch television. This was triggered by Russell's demand for a penalty.

"I have no regrets," Verstappen said in Abu Dhabi. "Maybe I would say even more today." He still cannot believe "that someone can be like that," said the 27-year-old Dutchman at a press conference. "In my whole career, I have never experienced anything like that, for me it was unacceptable." He accused Russell of lying: "I didn't expect someone to be so active in trying to get someone else punished. That wasn't nice and was actually very shocking."

"There is nothing to lie about. Facts are facts," the Brit replied. "I don't know the reasons for his personal attack, because I have no problems with Max." In any case, Verstappen had now crossed a line with his words. "That was too much," said Russell. It was "quite ironic" that Verstappen was questioning his integrity. "I'm not going to sit here and accept it."

The World Championship sixth-placed driver continued: "People have been bullied by Max for years and you can't question his driving skills. But he can't deal with adversity. Whenever something goes against him, he lashes out," said Russell. "I've seen him like that since I was 14 years old in a kart."

Wolff: "Crossed the line", "just weak"
A dispute also broke out at team boss level. After the race in Qatar, Red Bull boss Horner suggested that Russell had been "hysterical" in the race stewards' meeting. A comment that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff took up. "Basically, that's between the two drivers, I don't interfere with that. But when a team boss calls George hysterical, then a line is crossed. I don't know if he's into psychoanalysis, but that's quite a word. How dare he say that about my driver?"

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff

(Bild: APA/AFP/ANGELA WEISS)

Wolff continues: "No situation is 100 percent right or wrong, there are a lot of nuances, depending on your point of view. And there are also situations in which both sides have their truth. And if all of that is not taken into consideration, then you are not fulfilling your role as team principal. But this, this is just weak. Where does he come up with something like that? Yappy little terrier. Always something to say."

In any case, drivers and team bosses can look forward to a vacation after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. After a long season and such quarrels, they probably really need it ...