{"id":915073,"date":"2026-10-03T21:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T21:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/915073\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T21:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T21:04:08","slug":"max-verstappen-pokes-fun-at-george-russell-as-fia-reaches-bahrain-gp-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/915073\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen pokes fun at George Russell as FIA reaches Bahrain GP decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen<\/a> has poked fun at Mercedes<\/a> driver George Russell\u2019s complaints that F1\u2019s cost cap demands have prevented him from wearing a special cooling vest at this weekend\u2019s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.<\/p>\n

The Red Bull driver says the likes of Russell \u201cshouldn\u2019t exaggerate\u201d the effects of hot conditions after a heat hazard was declared by the FIA in Sepang.<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen on George Russell complaints: \u2018You shouldn\u2019t exaggerate\u2019<\/p>\n

The FIA announced on Thursday that the Bahrain Grand Prix \u2013 held at the former Malaysian Grand Prix venue in Sepang \u2013 has been declared a heat hazard event.<\/p>\n

It is the second time in four races that a heat hazard has been declared by the FIA following last month\u2019s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.<\/p>\n

F1\u2019s heat hazard protocol sees cars fitted with extra driver cooling systems, with the minimum weight of the cars increased to accommodate the extra technology.<\/p>\n

Drivers also have the option of wearing a special cooling vest to help them cope with the conditions.<\/p>\n

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Russell revealed earlier this week that the Mercedes drivers will go without a cooling vest in Malaysia as the team has decided to focus resources in other areas.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers\u2019 Association, also called for the FIA to \u201cstep in\u201d either by providing funds for teams to develop a cooling vest, or by employing a third party to supply a cooling vest to teams.<\/p>\n

Put to him that some drivers \u2013 including Russell and Haas driver Esteban Ocon \u2013 have complained about the absence of a cooling vest, Verstappen laughed off their concerns.<\/p>\n

He told Dutch media: \u201cI don\u2019t need it. I have less trouble with the heat, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked to respond to Russell likening Sepang to driving in a sauna, Verstappen said: \u201cA sauna at 100 degrees or 80-85 degrees is still pretty hot, yeah.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you shouldn\u2019t exaggerate. It\u2019s hot, but it\u2019s part of it. You have to train for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s uncomfortable, well, sure \u2013 in all sports you eventually have to push to the limit; you can\u2019t just cruise around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verstappen went on to reveal that he trained in a sauna ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix to help prepare for the punishing conditions of Malaysia.<\/p>\n

He explained: \u201cI used to do that [train in heated rooms] when I was 18. I struggled a bit more with the heat then.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut over time, you just train more in the heat, like in a sauna, to get more comfortable staying in there longer, getting used to that sweating sensation and your head getting hot. I\u2019ve been in the sauna a few times.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I do] nothing special during the race. Once you\u2019re in the car, yeah, it\u2019s hot, but it comes with the territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou train for it, you make sure you\u2019re fit enough and, sure, when you step out after the race, you\u2019re thirsty and need to drink and eat quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if he uses an ice bath, he added: \u201cLately, I haven\u2019t really been doing that. Just make sure you prepare well and stay calm in a cool environment; that\u2019s enough for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verstappen is the last driver to win in Sepang, having claimed his second career victory at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

The Dutch driver won despite struggling with illness, with Verstappen hopeful that his previous experiences at Sepang will help him deal with the conditions on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Asked if he expects the 2026 race to be easier than in 2017, he added: \u201cYeah, I think I\u2019m definitely stronger and fitter than I was back then, so yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher<\/p>\n

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n

Read next: Max Verstappen\u2019s pole verdict on Red Bull\u2019s Sepang breakthrough<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen has poked fun at Mercedes driver George Russell\u2019s complaints that F1\u2019s cost cap demands have prevented…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":915074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,3875,818,825,945,806,805,803,804,44,918,85],"class_list":["post-915073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-george-russell","tag-home-page","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mercedes","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-news","tag-red-bull","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=915073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/915074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=915073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=915073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=915073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}