Following George Russell’s victory at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull filed two protests against the Mercedes driver for his behavior during the closing laps under the safety car. Russell had held the lead from pole position and crossed the finish line under neutral conditions after an accident between McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, which brought out the safety car.

Red Bull protests

Red Bull claimed that Russell braked erratically and excessively on the back straight between Turns 12 and 13, leading to his close-following Max Verstappen momentarily overtaking him under Safety Car conditions, something prohibited by FIA regulations. Furthermore, Red Bull accused Russell of maintaining an excessively large following distance from the Safety Car, much greater than permitted (approximately three times the 10-car-length limit).

It was also suggested that Russell may have intentionally braked to provoke Verstappen into an overtaking violation, which would have resulted in a penalty for the Red Bull driver and a potential risk of suspension due to points on his license. Red Bull presented telemetry showing Russell checking his mirrors before braking, which they interpreted as a deliberate action to force Verstappen over.

Finally, Red Bull criticized Russell for complaining on the radio that Verstappen had overtaken him under the safety car, which Red Bull interpreted as an attempt at “dirty play” to influence the stewards’ decision.

The FIA’s response and the outcome

The FIA ​​conducted an investigation and a hearing attended by representatives from both teams, drivers, and sporting directors. After analyzing the evidence and testimony, the stewards rejected Red Bull’s protests, finding Russell’s behavior normal and reasonable in maintaining tire and brake temperatures under the safety car. They found insufficient evidence to penalize Russell or to consider him acting in an unsportsmanlike manner.

FIA Sporting Director Tim Malyon and Race Director Rui Marques were present at the hearing, which lasted several hours. The FIA ​​cited precedents such as Sergio Pérez’s case in Singapore 2022, where a penalty was issued for similar behavior, but in this case Russell was not found to have broken the rules.

Reactions and context

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained that the protests are not personal against Russell, but rather are based on strict compliance with the regulations. Horner also revealed that Red Bull had previously warned the FIA ​​about potential provocations from rivals to tempt Verstappen into committing an infraction that could lead to a suspension, especially following previous incidents such as the collision in Spain that nearly earned Verstappen a penalty.

For his part, Verstappen expressed his frustration with Russell’s maneuver and the confusion it caused, although both drivers later agreed that there was no real gap for Norris to try to overtake Piastri in the fight that ended in the accident.

This episode is part of a growing rivalry and tension between Red Bull and Mercedes, and between Verstappen and Russell, which has included other protests during the season, such as the one filed in Miami against Russell for not reducing speed sufficiently in a yellow flag zone, also dismissed by the FIA.