Canadian Grand Prix decision made after Red Bull protest against George Russell
George Russell has kept his victory in the Canadian Grand Prix after the stewards rejected two protests from Red Bull following the race in Montreal
George Russell's triumph at the Canadian Grand Prix stands firm despite Red Bull's protests to overturn his win. Russell fended off Max Verstappen to seize victory in Montreal, starting from the front of the grid.
The race concluded under a safety car following Lando Norris’s crash as he attempted an overtake on his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull lodged two separate protests against Russell post-race, claiming he varied his speed unpredictably in front of Verstappen during the safety car period to induce a penalty for the latter. Furthermore, they accused Russell of 'unsportsmanlike conduct', alleging that he dishonestly claimed over the team radio that Verstappen had passed him illegally.
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The FIA stewards rejected both claims after examining the pertinent data and video materials, thus preserving Russell's victory. The ruling came hours after the race ended, with both racers called to recount their perspective on the incident.
Concluding their decision, the stewards pronounced: "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 are not satisfied that by simply reporting to his team that Car 1 [Verstappen] had overtaken that he engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct.
"Even though the protest did not allege it, we are also satisfied that by braking where and when he did and to the extent he did, the driver of Car 63 did not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct."
Post-race, Red Bull's team boss Christian Horner hinted that Russell might have lagged excessively behind the safety car. Yet, this specific claim wasn't detailed in the stewards' report.
Horner remarked: "Two protests that we've put to the stewards, that we've asked them to have a look at. Firstly, relating to the erratic driving behind the safety car, where George very heavily braked, obviously looking in his mirror for Max.
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"Then the second one is very clearly the distance that was left behind the safety car that was well in excess, I think at least three times in excess, of the permitted distance.
"It's €2,000 ($2,300) per protest, and we were surprised that they weren't noted and sent to the stewards, so therefore you have the right as a competitor to do that and that's what we've chosen to do."
Russell's triumph in Canada has tightened the race for the Drivers' Championship, placing him fourth and just 22 points shy of Verstappen, who is third, trailing Norris and Piastri.
