Fernando Alonso dismisses accusations against George Russell, urging calm in the escalating Verstappen-Russell feud over Qatar penalties.
Alonso holds great admiration for Max Verstappen but defended George Russell after the quadruple world champion accused him of being “hypocritical” in the context of the Qatar Grand Prix penalties.
Verstappen was dropped one spot on the starting grid after impeding Russell during qualifying in Qatar last weekend. This sparked his anger, and the exchange of words between the two escalated significantly today in Abu Dhabi (read more here).
In Qatar, the Red Bull driver had stated, “He always acts very nice in front of the cameras. But when you’re inside, he’s a completely different person. I can’t stand that.”
Asked for his view on the war of words between Verstappen and Russell, Alonso, who has often criticized F1 stewards, offered a measured response.
“No, I don’t think George is hypocritical. George is a great driver, a great person. I’m also good friends with George. I don’t think he shows different faces here and there.”
“I think it’s more about the fact that Max probably agrees with me on something I’ve mentioned several times: some penalties lack consistency. For example, you have an incident in Qatar, then go to the next race and repeat the exact same scenario, yet you don’t get the same outcome in terms of penalties.”
“This is the frustration we sometimes feel. But recently, we’ve changed the race director and also some people in the stewards’ room.”
“So I hope these changes will be beneficial and improve the consistency we’re asking for.”
“We need to give them some time as well. And I hope that here and next year, we’ll have more consistent and better outcomes.”
“As for the dispute between Max and George, I hope it settles down because it’s not good for anyone.”
- Discover More>Wolff Hits Back: Horner a ‘Yapping Terrier’ Amid F1 Clash
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.
Alonso Calls for Calm in Verstappen-Russell Dispute Alonso Calls for Calm in Verstappen-Russell Dispute
