Kravitz: 'Seething Verstappen said this to Russell before Qatar GP'

Horner on confrontation Verstappen and Russell

"I think there was a little bit of a moment between the two of them on the trailer as they go around the circuit earlier. He felt that things just went a bit too far yesterday. He was so motivated coming into this race, even more than usual," Horner said in a conversation with Sky Sports.

Norris witnessed the moment between Verstappen and Russell. "I think George and Max have been having a little squabble behind the scenes," the McLaren driver said ahead of the race. He hoped this would play to his own advantage, but that turned out not to be the case. Verstappen got off the line better and had already outsmarted Russell before the first corner.

Kravitz: 'Furious Verstappen confronted Russell'

Sky Sports reporter Kravitz says he knows what the Dutchman said to his rival. "In the drivers' parade holding room, Max confronted George, still seething, and said something along the lines of 'you and your FIA buddies, I hope you're happy with what you've done'. I think the actual quote was rather ruder than that. I'm not going to say what that was. But that seems to be the confrontation that Horner referred to," Kravitz said.

Horner said Verstappen used his displeasure as motivation. "He delivered the most amazing performance. He was just like a metronome just lap after lap whilst looking after those tyres. In the high speed corners he wasn't taking as much energy out the tyre that gave him the longevity because we're in this weird situation where the tires were getting faster and faster as they were getting down to the canvas, and then the punctures started coming," the team boss added about the punctures for Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton