Formula 1 star George Russell has responded strongly to Max Verstappen's recent criticisms, revealing alleged threats made by the world champion during their Qatar Grand Prix dispute.

Russell claims Verstappen threatened him after receiving a one-place grid penalty in Qatar, allegedly saying he would "purposefully go out of his way to put you on your f****** head in the wall." This came after Verstappen publicly criticized Russell's conduct in the stewards' room.

"People have been bullied by Max for years now," Russell stated. "You can't question his driving abilities, but he cannot deal with adversity." He cited several incidents including Jeddah '21, Brazil '21, and Budapest this year as examples of Verstappen's controversial behavior under pressure.

The Mercedes driver highlighted concerns about Verstappen's racing style, particularly referencing incidents from the 2021 season finale and the recent Mexico race with Lando Norris. Russell argues these weren't merely aggressive maneuvers but "do or die" moves that risk taking other drivers out.

Russell also criticized Verstappen's relationship with his team, revealing that after the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Verstappen criticized Red Bull publicly, "a quarter of his engineering team were sending their CVs to Mercedes, to McLaren, to Aston."

"He's the biggest, most successful guy in the sport for the last couple of years," Russell concluded. "When he starts throwing comments around like he did on Sunday night about me, I'm not just going to sit there and accept it."

While Verstappen has maintained his position during an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix press conference, the dispute highlights growing tensions between two of Formula 1's leading drivers.

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