- Formula 1 driver
George Russell calledMax Verstappen 's championship win "UNACCEPTABLE!!!" - Verstappen won the Driver's Championship on the final lap of the final race of the season after a controversial restart.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the 2021 Formula One Driver's Championship in controversial fashion on Sunday, overtaking Mercedes'
After the race, at least one other driver was just as frustrated with the result as Hamilton — his future teammate George Russell.
Russell, who raced for Williams in 2021, had to retire from the race before its completion, and thus was right by his phone when Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap of racing action.
He didn't hold back in his assessment of the nature of Verstappen's win, calling it "absolutely unacceptable."
—George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) December 12, 2021
—George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) December 12, 2021
Verstappen's win came amidst a last-minute decision from race control, which cleared a group of lapped cars from Verstappen's path as a safety car was ending ahead of the final lap of the race.
With Verstappen on a fresh set of tyres, it took just two moves to get past Hamilton, and take both the race and the championship.
Russell may not officially be Hamilton's teammate yet, but it's clear he's ready to back him up in a race when the moment calls for it.