Max Verstappen strongly condemned fellow driver George Russell, saying he had “lost all respect” for him after the pair were involved in an incident during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. Verstappen felt Russell had tried to “screw me” with the stewards and the two exchanged words about it before the race at the Lusail circuit on Sunday.

Verstappen won the race in Qatar, but afterwards his anger at Russell was direct. After qualifying, Verstappen was penalized for driving unnecessarily slowly and hindering Russell. Both drivers had been called to the stewards to comment on the incident and Russell’s behavior had left Verstappen outraged.

“I’ve been in this meeting room with people I’ve raced many times in my life and career and I’ve never seen anyone try to screw someone over so hard. I lost all respect for myself,” he said.

In an interview with Dutch television he was even more dismissive. “He always does really well here in front of the camera, but when you’re with him in person, he’s just a different person,” he said. “I can’t stand this and it’s actually better for him to fuck off. I don’t want to get involved.”

Verstappen was found at fault and given a one-place grid penalty, forcing him off pole and being promoted. Russell and the world champion also took aim at the stewards.

“I couldn’t believe I got it. But in a way, I was no longer surprised by the world I live in,” he said. He insisted he was not trying to hinder Russell as neither driver was on a hot lap but felt he was being ignored.

“I didn’t want to trick anyone into setting up their lap and if I do that I’ll basically get a penalty for being nice. I tried to explain that too, but I just felt like I was talking to a wall.”

Verstappen’s Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed that his driver had felt motivated by the incident and that he had made his feelings clear to Russell at the drivers’ parade before the race. “I think there was a little moment between the two of them on the trailer driving around the track where Max felt like things just went a little too far yesterday,” he said.