Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that a heated clash with Mercedes’ George Russell during qualifying became a driving force behind Max Verstappen‘s victory at the Qatar Grand Prix. The incident, which was reviewed by the stewards, resulted in a grid penalty that demoted Verstappen from pole position to second, placing him directly behind Russell. The disagreement escalated into an argument between the two drivers, with Verstappen reportedly using his frustration as fuel to deliver a superior performance on race day.

Verstappen was visibly frustrated with Russell, accusing him of being overly aggressive in lobbying for a penalty. The stewards eventually ruled in Russell’s favor, which fueled the Dutchman’s anger, resulting in him venting his frustration during the race.

Starting from the less favorable side of the grid, the four-time world champion quickly overtook Russell to seize the lead by the first corner. He maintained his position for 57 laps, unfazed by the chaos behind him. Horner suggested that Verstappen’s earlier clash with Russell fueled his determination to dominate despite starting second. He remarked:

“He was annoyed with George, and the way things played out in front of the stewards yesterday. And he carried that motivation into the race.

“It was clearly evident that he was super-motivated going into this race. He got an amazing start and that whole first, second, third-gear phase of the start, he was going to be the only car that was going to come out of Turn 1 in the lead.

“I think you could sense that George kind of sensed that as well. I think there was a little bit of a moment between the two of them on the trailer as they go around the circuit, that Max felt that things just went a bit too far yesterday.”

Verstappen expressed his frustration over his experience in the stewards’ office, accusing Russell of pushing excessively to have him penalized. He openly admitted that the incident left him upset and stated that he had lost all respect for the Mercedes driver. He added:

“I was quite surprised, when sitting there in the stewards’ room, what was all going on.

“It was honestly very disappointing, because I think all of us here, we respect each other a lot.

“I’ve been in that meeting room many times in my life and my career with people that I’ve raced. And I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard. For me, I lost all respect.”