- George Russell kept his Canadian Grand Prix win after stewards dismissed Red Bull’s protest against the Mercedes driver.
- Red Bull had lodged a complaint alleging two infringements by Russell under the safety car, which guided the pack home at the end of the race.
- The stewards rejected both accusations, stating that Russell’s actions were justified and not severe enough to warrant a penalty.
Mercedes driver George Russell has retained his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix after the race stewards rejected a late protest lodged by Red Bull Racing on Sunday night. The decision came five and a half hours after the race had finished, confirming Russell’s win and championship leader Oscar Piastri’s 22-point lead in the standings.
Red Bull had protested the result due to two alleged infringements Russell had made under the safety car, which led the pack home at the end of the race. The team stood to inherit the race win if they were successful, with Max Verstappen finishing behind Russell. However, the stewards threw out the complaints, deeming them “not founded.”
The protest focused on two moments: one where Russell had slammed on the brakes while following the safety car, briefly causing Verstappen to go past him, and another where Russell appeared to have dropped too far behind the safety car, potentially violating the rule that states the lead driver must not be more than 10 car lengths behind.
Red Bull’s protest had also included the accusation that Russell had displayed “unsportsmanlike intent.” Speaking to the media shortly after Verstappen and Russell had met with the stewards, Red Bull boss Christian Horner had suggested the same, saying, “I think you could hear from George’s press comments yesterday, you know, his objective was reasonably clear. I don’t think there was any surprises with that.”
However, the stewards rejected both accusations. Regarding the heavy braking incident, they stated that Russell “braked where he did for two reasons. First to ensure he kept a gap to the safety car. Secondly, to keep temperature in his brakes and tyres.” They were satisfied with Russell’s insistence that he had not done so to catch Verstappen out, adding that the Mercedes driver was not convinced the race would end behind the safety car and that he was trying to keep heat in his tyres. The stewards also noted that the application of the brake was 30PSI, which they deemed “not severe.”
As for the complaint about the 10 car lengths rule, the stewards acknowledged that such a situation can happen when a driver hits the brakes at the same time the safety car applies the throttle.
The verdict also addressed other incidents during the safety car period, with several drivers, including first-time podium finisher Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and Pierre Gasly receiving warnings for passing under the safety car, but no further penalties.
The outcome of the protest confirms Piastri’s championship lead at 22 points, as the Australian had stood to gain three points if Russell had been demoted below him. Piastri’s title rival and teammate Lando Norris had triggered the safety car period by colliding with him with three laps left in the race.
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