The first clue that something sensational was in the offing was the jam-packed Mercedes hospitality unit, with barely a space to stand. The second clue was the Netflix microphone, hovering conspicuously over an incensed George Russell, as he launched grenade after grenade.
And the third? Toto Wolff, entering stage left, two minutes into an extraordinary 14-minute media session for the written press on Thursday, at the season-concluding race of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi.
Max Verstappen had upped the ante a few hours earlier, accusing Russell of “lying” to the stewards in their week-long squabble over a confrontation at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
The pair – who have never really been cordial, whatever any padel matches infer – were already at daggers drawn, with Verstappen telling the Brit to “f*** off” in Doha and Russell responding on Thursday morning, telling a few select outlets that the Dutchman threatened to put his “head in the f***ing wall”.
Every question, bar one, was about this feud. A feud that has also reignited the longstanding quarrel between Christian Horner and Toto Wolff and, as a result, Red Bull and Mercedes.
Three years on from the Abu Dhabi scandal, it was like 2021 all over again.
Russell did not need a second invitation at the start: “It’s funny because even before I said a word in the stewards’ [room], he was swearing at the stewards – he was so angry before I’d ever spoken.
“I do not know why he felt the need for this personal attack. I’m not going to take it.”
Enter Wolff, in a navy blue polo shirt, standing next to his driver in solidarity and with the air of a man defending his son in the headmaster’s office. For a long while, he just stood there; his presence was a statement in itself.
Russell then proceeded to praise his outgoing Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton – whose spotlight was stolen on media day ahead of his final race for the Silver Arrows – and say his compatriot was the “world champion I aspire to be like”.
He also called out Verstappen’s behaviour in the past, dating back to their days in go-karts at 14 years of age, and speculated that 25 per cent of Red Bull engineers applied for jobs at rival teams after the Dutchman’s foul-mouthed outburst in Hungary in July.
But the biggest shot thrown, at least at Verstappen, was a reference to that contentious finale in 2021: “Could you imagine if the roles had been reversed and Max losing that championship in the manner Lewis lost that championship?
“[Ex-F1 race director Michael] Masi would be fearing for his life.”
Then Wolff had his say, accusing Horner of being a “weak” team principal for not downplaying Verstappen’s comments last week. He then added: “How can he feel entitled to comment about my driver? Having spent 90 seconds to think about it… [he’s a] yapping little terrier. Always something to say.”
This came after Horner labelled Russell’s behaviour in the stewards’ room – in which Red Bull opined that the Brit did everything possible to get his rival penalised – as “hysterical.”
The session finished on Wolff’s terms, as the Austrian stated: “How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver?”
For what it’s worth, Verstappen had the final say, telling the Dutch media a few minutes later that Russell is a “backstabber” and a “loser”.
For Drive to Survive, filming it all, it was dream content. For the rest of us watching, eyebrows raised, it was terrific needle in a sport which is at its best when two teams are fighting hammer and tong on the tarmac and in the press room.
Should both drivers be in line for a championship nip and tuck in 2025, it will make for a humdinger of a season. Of more immediate concern is this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, where it is McLaren and Ferrari vying for the constructors’ title, not Mercedes and Red Bull.
But that is not the lead now. Nor is it Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell. All eyes are now on Saturday’s qualifying session where, should Russell and Verstappen finish in the top three, the pair will be side by side in the press conference room. And if that materialises? Standing room only...
