Canadian GP: George Russell keeps race win after Red Bull protest against Mercedes driver rejected | F1 News
George Russell kept his victory in the Canadian Grand Prix after the stewards rejected a Red Bull protest against the Mercedes driver.
Russell beat Max Verstappen in the Victory in Sunday’s race to record Mercedes’ first victory for the season.
But two hours after the fall of the checkered flag, it appeared that Red Bull had challenged the result by organizing two demonstrations concerning the driving of the British behind the late safety car.
Red Bull allegedly alleged that Russell had violated the regulations by driving both irregularly before Verstappen and engaged in the conduct of a little, in their opinion, trying to penalize his rival.
However, after summoning drivers and representatives of the two teams and examined the data and video evidence during their investigation on Sunday evening, the Montreal stewards finally threw the case of Red Bull almost six hours after Russell took the checkered flag.
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Red Bull launched a demonstration after the Canadian General practitioner saying that George Russell has driven irregularly in front of Max Verstappen behind the safety car
In the document confirming their decision, the commissioners said: “We accept the driver of explanation by car 63 of the incident and we are convinced that the driver of the car 63 did not drive irregularly by braking where he did or insofar as he did.
“We are not satisfied that by simply reporting to his team that the car 1 had exceeded that he had hired antactive driving.
“Even if the demonstration did not allege it, we are also convinced that by slowing down where and when it did and insofar as it did, the driver of the car 63 did not engage in antactive driving.”
The demonstration was the last turn in a series of controversial events involving Verstappen and Russell.
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George Russell takes a search at Max Verstappen after having beaten him to take the post in Montreal.
The driver of Red Bull was penalized for provoking a collision with Russell in the previous round of the 2025 season in Spain, the incident winning Verstappen three penalty points which left him at the edge of a race ban in Canada, and will continue to do in the next round in Austria before certain permit points.
After defeating Verstappen in Pole on Saturday in Montreal, Russell suggested that he had an advantage over his rival due to the situation of penalty points.
Verstappen said he was “Pi ** Ed Off” during “childish” comments on his situation shortly after a press conference after qualification.
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Max Verstappen was quick to stop a question that asked him on his penalty points this season.
The pair was also engaged in an extraordinary word war in the final of last year after Verstappen was penalized for an incident involving Russell in the previous round in Qatar.
Red Bull launched a demonstration against Russell earlier this season in Miami after the Briton finished a place in front of Verstappen in third at the Miami Grand Prix. The allegation that Russell had not slowed enough under the yellow flags was rejected.
Horner explains Red Bull’s demonstration
Addressing the media written after the news of their demonstrations had become public, the director of the Red Bull team, Christian Horner, said: “Two demonstrations that we put to the commissioners, which we asked them to take a look.
“First of all, linked to the erratic driving behind the safety car, where George very slowed down, obviously looking in his mirror for Max.
“Then the second is very clearly the distance that was left behind the safety car which was excess, I think that at least three times in excess, of the authorized distance.
“It is € 2,000 per protest, and we were surprised that they were not noted and sent to the commissioners, so you have the right as a competitor to do so, and that’s what we have chosen to do.”
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George Russell and Kimi Antonelli de Mercedes reflect respectively on their first and third place
There was no specific mention in the Stewards document of an allegation of Russell leaving a big gap in the safety car.
Verstappen had declared on the radio of the Red Bull team at the age of 68 that “George suddenly, aggressively aggressive”, while Russell said that the Dutchman “just exceeded me under the security car”.
Talk to Sky Sports F1 Then Verstappen said: “I think we were both trying to say to the safety car to accelerate because it was only 120 km / h, but I think it might do that to give a little more time to perhaps get a race.
“So George was trying to accelerate to the safety car and I was trying to do the same. Once, he tried to speed up the safety car he fell and that caused a little confusion.”
The next step for the Formula 1 2025 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is live on Sky Sports F1 from June 27 to 29. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract, cancel at any time.
