The Canada Grand Prix produced an exciting battle between George Russell and Max Verstappen, but after the race it was a controversial incident under the security car that attracted the greatest attention. Red Bull presented a protest against Russell’s victory, in which they described their driving behavior as “illegally” and unsportsmanlike. After a long deliberation, the FIA administrators rejected the protest, but George Russell still receives a punishment for their actions. This is good news for Max Verstappen, who retains his second place, while the head of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, shared his vision of the situation.
The race in the Gilles Villeneuve circuit was dominated by Russell, who left the Pole position and retained the leadership. Verstappen continued secondly, but could not seriously threaten the driver of Mercedes. Then, the drama began a collision between the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piasstri brought a security car on the track in the final phase. During this period, Russell suddenly stopped the right piece vigorously, so Verstappen came little to his side and even led to him. Verstappen immediately complained about the radio on the board: “George suddenly stopped in a very aggressive way.” His career engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, replied that they would investigate the incident on the possible irregular conduction behavior.
Russell himself was not silent and informed about the radio that Verstappen had reached the security car, which could be a violation of the rules. This seemed a conscious attempt to put Verstappen in trouble, especially because the Dutchman is already at eleven penalty points and an extra point would mean a racing suspension. Lambiase warned Verstappen: “That incident with Russell can now be seen in the images, Max is quite clear. Don’t be dragged into this game, right?”
After consultation hours, the butlers rejected Red Bull’s protest, concluding that Russell’s driving behavior was not illegal. However, Russell received an official warning for his abrupt remnuvre, which was considered potentially dangerous. In addition, Russell, together with Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piasstri, were warned to catch up after the end in security security circumstances, but this did not cause more punishment. This means that Russell retains his victory, but the warning serves as a reminder that his actions were at the limit. This is good news for Verstappen: its second place remains intact and does not receive additional penalty points, which means that it avoids a suspension.
Toto Wolff, head of the Mercedes team, responded to the incident with a moderate tone, which is unusual taking into account his views often pronounced. “I only heard after the race that Max was asked to let George pass it, he did not know,” Wolff told the media, including Racingnews365. “During the race we thought Max had a problem with his car, so he was so slowly at the same time 4”. Wolff judged the harsh criticism of Verstappen, but suggested that if the incident were a conscious action, it would not be acceptable. “If it were for anger, I can’t imagine because I was too clear, so that is not good. But I don’t know what Max was planning. Did I want George to pass and upload immediately?”
The Wolff reaction reflects its broader vision of the best athletes as Verstappen. He pointed out that “the great champions sometimes think that the world is against them, which drives them to act at the highest level.” Añadió: “A veces no ven que han cometido un error. Estos comentarios sugieren que el temperamento de Wolff Verstappen entiende, pero enfatizó que Mercedes sigue enfocado en su propio rendimiento.
The pronunciation of the FIA and the warning to Russell conclude a tumultuous Grand Prix of Canada. For Verstappen, this offers some relief, while its fight for the championship continues. However, the rivalry between Russell and Verstappen remains a source of tension, and with the next races in Europe, the world of formula 1 will closely analyze how this dynamic develops.
