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 emotional and t𒅌ypically 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 season꧂s.

The 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 ꦬhe hopes will be a successful end to his career at Ferrari.

"I anticipated it would be difficult but massively underestimated how diffi🎐cult,” 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 war༺path as their row escalated and do𝔍minated a remarkable media day.

Russell, joined by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff in a show of solidarity, addressed med🦩ia including in a packed-out Mercedes hospitality building - 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 re🥂vealed 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 Brit💝on.

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

“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 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 e♒nd of a long and gruelling season into the new biggest rivalry in F1.

"I don't know why he felt t🌳he 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 that was a spur of the moment thing, but the next day, we were joking around a bit with [Sergio] Perez and Car🗹los 🤡[Sainz], I saw it in his eyes that he meant it.

"He's a four-time champion. Lewis [Hamilton] is the champion I aspi༺re 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 be a news conꦓference just for Russell.

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

Wolff felt Horner calling Russell “hysterical” in Qatar had 𝐆“crossed a line”.

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

"His forte is not intellectual psychoan🐻alysis, but that's quite a word. How dare you comment on the state of mind o𒉰f my driver.”

And with that,🍃 Hamilton 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 completely overshadow Hamilton’s f꧑arewell as the big story at Mercedes.