Summary:
- Red Bull’s protest accusing George Russell of erratic and unsportsmanlike driving behind the Safety Car was thrown out by stewards.
- Russell and Verstappen Tensions remain locked in a growing rivalry, with recent incidents adding fuel to the fire.
- Russell’s victory in Montreal marks Mercedes’ first triumph of the season.
George Russell’s win at the Canadian Grand Prix will stand after Formula 1 stewards dismissed Red Bull’s protest late Sunday evening, ending hours of uncertainty following Mercedes’ first victory of the season.
Red Bull Filed Two Protests
The drama unfolded well after the Brit crossed the finish line ahead of Max Verstappen, with Red Bull filing two official protests.
They accused Russell of erratic driving behind a late Safety Car and claimed he acted unsportingly by allegedly trying to get Verstappen penalized.
However, after hearing from both drivers and team representatives, and reviewing footage and telemetry data, the stewards rejected both complaints nearly six hours after the race ended.
In their decision, the panel stated:
We accept the driver of Car 63’s [Russell’s] explanation of the incident and we are satisfied that the driver of Car 63 did not drive erratically by braking where he did or to the extent he did. We were not satisfied that by simply reporting to his team that Car 1 [Verstappen] had overtaken that he engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct. The driver of Car 63 did not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct
Heated Rivalry Goes On
The protest is just the latest episode in the tense rivalry between George Russell and Verstappen. At the previous round in Spain, Verstappen was penalized for colliding with Russell, earning three penalty points that leave him on the edge of a race ban heading into Austria.
The controversy spilled over into Saturday’s qualifying in Montreal, when Russell beat Verstappen to pole and hinted that Max’s caution due to the penalty points may have played a role.
Verstappen didn’t hold back: he said he was “pi**ed off” at what he called “childish” comments in the post-qualifying press conference.
Red Bull has taken issue with Russell before. They protested his third-place finish in Miami earlier this year, alleging he didn’t slow properly under yellow flags. That claim was also dismissed.
Speaking on Sunday, Red Bull boss Christian Horner defended the team’s decision:
It’s €2,000 per protest… we were surprised they weren’t noted and sent to the stewards, so therefore you have the right as a competitor to do that.
While Verstappen complained during the race that “George suddenly just aggressively braked”, Russell radioed back that “he just overtook me under the Safety Car”.
Next up, the grid heads to Austria — and with tensions still simmering, the Russell-Verstappen rivalry looks far from over. Find the best odds from the Best Non UK Betting Sites