From Mercedes’ perspective, this was supposed to be a weekend all about “celebrating”168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Lewis Hamilton ahead of his impending exit from the team.

It started out that way, with an emotional and tyꦆpically eloquent Hamilton speaking in Thursday’s FIA press conference about how hard he has found his looming departure from a team with which he has won six of his seven world titles over the past 12 seasons.

T✃he chequered 🐼flag in Sunday’s race in Abu Dhabi will mark not only the end of the season but the conclusion of the seven-time world champion’s illustrious stint with the Silver Arrows, before he embarks on what he hopes will be a successful end to his career at Ferrari.

"I anticipated it would be difficult but massively underestimated how difficult,” Hamilton admitted. “It was straining on the relationship very early on. Took time for people to get🥀 past it."

But just a few hours later, the narrative in the Yas Marina paddock dramatically changed with Mercedes teammate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:George Russell and Red Bull’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Max Verstappen on a warpath as𓃲 thei✨r row escalated and dominated a remarkable media day.

Russell, joined by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff in a show of solidarity, addressed media including in a packed-out Mercedes hospitality building - in which there was standing room only - toꩲ hit back at Verstapp💫en’s claims in Qatar.

In an extraordinary and lengthy press c🦋onference, a measured and composed, yet clearly irked Russell accused Verstappen of being a bully and revealed a threat which grabbed the headlines on෴ a day many thought would centre around Hamilton.

Before that, Verstappen, himself still livid with Russell, 🍸doubled down on his criticism of the Briton.

“In my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I have experienced in the stewar🦩ds’ room in Qatar. For me that was really unacceptable,” Verstappe🥀n said in the press conference.

“I just never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly. Lying about why I was doing what I was doing. Clearly, it had an influence to them. It wa𓃲s just really noticeable and very shocking what was going on.”

When Russell responded just hours later, things quickly evolved from a bit of needle at the end of a long and gruelling season into the new biggꦅest rivalry in F1.

"I don't know why he felt the need for this personal attack♛ and I'm not going to take it,” Russell said. "This is me just setting the record straight, I am not going to stand here and let someone slam me personally.

"I knew tha♔t was a spur of the moment thing, but the next day, we were joking around a bit with [Sergio]🌊 Perez and Carlos [Sainz], I saw it in his eyes that he meant it.

"He's a 𝄹four-time champion. Lewis 🍸[Hamilton] is the champion I aspire to be - hard but fair; never beyond the line. We have a duty as drivers.

"For a world champion to come ♏out and say he is going to go out of his way to crash into someone and put him on his head, that is not the example we should be setting.”

Wolff then took the unusual step to take the microphone during what was meant to b🍬e a news conference just for Russell.

The Austrian used the opportunity to aim a dig at Red Bull cou𒐪nterpart Christian Horner with comments which could reignite their long-running feud.

Wolff felt Horner call🔯ing Russell “hyste𒁃rical” in Qatar had “crossed a line”.

He added:ཧ "Why does he feel entitled to comment about my driver? If 🌼you're thinking about it, yapping little terrier, always something to say.

"His forte is not intellectual psychoanalysis, but th🌼at's quite a word.ꦓ How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver.”

And with that, H𒆙amilton was no longer front of centre of the day’s news agenda.

Should Russell and Verstappen’s public spat fail to de-escalate in Abu Dhabi, it could threaten to compleꦺtely overshadow Hamilton’s farewell as the big story at M෴ercedes.