George Russell claims Max Verstappen threatened to ‘put my head in the wall’

The Mercedes driver revealed tensions boiled over in Qatar with the World champion saying he was ‘going to purposefully crash into me’

Max Verstappen, right, and George Russell attend the press conference after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar

George Russell has claimed his Formula One rival Max Verstappen threatened him with violence during the escalating tensions between the drivers at the Qatar Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver said the newly crowned world champion told him “he was going to purposefully go out of his way to crash into me and ‘put me on my fucking head in the wall’”.

The accusations come after the Briton and Verstappen were embroiled in a dispute in qualifying for the race last weekend. The Dutchman lost pole position for blocking Russell during qualifying, with both drivers seeking out the stewards to discuss the incident. Verstappen – who vented his ire on Dutch television, stating he had “lost all respect” for the Mercedes driver – went on to win the race but only after a one-place grid penalty saw him start behind Russell.