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

It started out that way, with an emoꦓtional and typically 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.

The chequered flag in Sunday’s race in Abu Dhabi will mark not only the end of the season but the conclusio🍌n 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 for𓂃 people to ge𓆉t past it."

But just a few hours later, the narrative in the Yas Marina paddock dramatically changed with Mercedes teammate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell and Red Bull’s 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen on a warpath as their row escalated and dominated a remarka♍ble mꦛedia day.

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

In an extraordinary and lengthy press conference, a measured and composed, yet clearly irked Russell accused Verstappen of being a bully and reveal🌟ed a thre🐟at 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 crღiticism of the Briton.

“In my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I haveಌ experienced in the stewards’ room in Qatar. For me that was really unacceptable,” Verstapౠpen said in the press conference.

“I just never expected someone to really try and actively𝔉 get someone a penalty that badly. Lying about why I was doing what I was doing. Clearly, it had an influence to them. It was 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 ꦐand gruelling season into the new biggest rivalry in F1.

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

"I knew that was a spur of the moment thingꦛ, but the next day, we were joking arou☂nd 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 [Hami🐽lton] is the champion I aspire to be - hard but fair; never beyond the line. We have a duty as driveཧrs.

"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 hea🌠d, that is not the example we ꦐshould be setting.”

Wolff then took the ꩵunusual step to take the microphone during what was meant to be a news conference just for Russell.

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

Wol𝓡ff felt Horner calling🅘 Russell “hysterical” in Qatar had “crossed a line”.

He added: "Why does ඣhe 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 psyc🍷hoanalysis, but that's quite a word. How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver.”

And wi🌄th that, Hamilton was no longer fꦆront of centre of the day’s news agenda.

Should Russell and Verstappen’s puꦗblic spat fail to de-escalate in Abu Dhabi, it could threaten to completely overshadow ꦚHamilton’s farewell as the big story at Mercedes.