It was almost midnight in Montreal when the news finally broke. While most fans were already heading back from the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve or tucked into bars on Rue Sainte-Catherine, the FIA stewards were still huddled in a room, staring at telemetry data. They were deciding whether to strip George Russell of his Canadian Grand Prix victory.
Red Bull had gone for the throat. They filed a formal protest against the Mercedes driver, alleging he'd played "games" under the Safety Car that almost caused a collision with Max Verstappen.
Honestly, it felt like a flashback to the high-tension days of 2021. But this wasn't about Lewis Hamilton. This was about the "new guard" of Mercedes and a Red Bull team that refuses to leave a single point on the table. If you've been following the 2025 season, you know the vibes have been... let's say, prickly.
The Night the Stewards Stayed Up
The drama started on Lap 67. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had a messy coming together—teammate heartbreak is the worst, isn't it?—which triggered a late-race Safety Car. Russell was leading. Verstappen was glued to his gearbox.
As the field bunched up, the radio went nuclear. Verstappen started shouting about "erratic braking" from the Mercedes. On the other side, Russell was complaining that Max had actually overtaken him behind the Safety Car. It was a classic "he said, she said" at $200\text{ mph}$.
Why Red Bull felt they had a case
Red Bull didn't just complain; they put their money where their mouth is (literally, a €2,000 deposit). Their protest focused on two specific gripes:
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- Erratic Driving: They claimed Russell slammed on the anchors on the back straight between Turns 12 and 13.
- The 10-Car Rule: Christian Horner alleged Russell had dropped way more than 10 car lengths behind the Safety Car—three times the limit, according to him—to manipulate the restart.
There’s a bit of a "dark art" to leading a pack under the Safety Car. You want to keep your brakes hot. You want your tires at the right PSI. But you also want to keep the guy behind you guessing. Red Bull's argument was basically that George crossed the line from "smart driving" into "dangerous gamesmanship." They even suggested he was trying to lure Max into an illegal overtake to get him a penalty.
That’s a heavy accusation.
Behind Closed Doors: The FIA Verdict
The hearing lasted nearly six hours. Think about that. Russell had already done the podium, sprayed the champagne, and probably wanted a burger and a nap. Instead, he was in an office with Mercedes’ Andrew Shovlin, defending his first win of the season.
The stewards eventually threw the protest out. Why? Because the telemetry told a different story than the Red Bull garage did.
Russell’s brake pressure was measured at $30\text{ psi}$. In F1 terms, that’s a "gentle squeeze," not a "slam." Mercedes also brought receipts. They showed the stewards that Max had been doing the exact same thing on previous laps to keep his own temperatures up.
Basically, the stewards decided it was "unremarkable." They even noted that Russell was gesticulating at the Safety Car to speed up, which kind of killed the narrative that he was intentionally slowing the pack down.
A Growing Pattern of Friction
This wasn't an isolated incident. If you remember the Miami Grand Prix earlier in 2025, Red Bull protested Russell there, too. That one was about George allegedly failing to slow down enough under yellow flags.
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It’s becoming a bit of a "thing," isn't it?
Red Bull is clearly keeping a very close eye on Car 63. Whether it's genuine safety concerns or just a tactical attempt to rattle a driver who is finally finding his feet as the Mercedes leader, it’s making the 2025 championship race feel incredibly personal.
The fallout for the fans
For the people in the grandstands, these post-race protests are kinda exhausting. You leave the track thinking one person won, only to wake up to a "results confirmed" tweet at 3:00 AM.
Russell himself has started calling for much higher protest deposits—six-figure sums—just to stop teams from "faffing around" with appeals that don't have a leg to stand on. He was pretty vocal about it after Montreal. He’s tired of the "lawyer-ing" of the sport.
What this means for the rest of the season
The "Red Bull protest George Russell" saga tells us two things about the current state of Formula 1.
First, Mercedes is officially back in the fight. You don't protest a team that's finishing P7. You protest the team that's taking trophies off your mantlepiece.
Second, the relationship between Max and George—which used to be fairly cordial—is fraying. During the cooldown room in Canada, they were still chatting, but you could see the tension. Max felt he was being brake-tested. George felt he was being bullied by a team that can’t handle losing.
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Actionable Takeaways for F1 Fans
If you're following these controversies, here’s how to stay ahead of the curve:
- Watch the On-boards: Don't just rely on the main broadcast. If a protest is announced, go back and look at the driver's hands and the "brake" indicator on the HUD. It usually tells you if the "erratic" claim is real or just heat-of-the-moment venting.
- Follow the Sporting Code: Specifically Article 55.5. This is the one that covers Safety Car behavior. Knowing the "10-car length rule" helps you understand why Horner gets so worked up.
- Check the Official Documents: The FIA publishes the "Stewards' Decision" PDFs on their website. They are surprisingly easy to read and give you the exact telemetry facts that the teams see.
The grid is tighter than it has been in years. When the gap between P1 and P2 is less than a second—as it was in Montreal—the race doesn't end at the checkered flag anymore. It ends in the stewards' office.
Keep an eye on the next few rounds. If George keeps winning, expect the paperwork from Milton Keynes to keep flying.
Next Steps: Check the latest constructor standings to see how these upheld points are affecting the Mercedes vs. Red Bull gap. Keep an eye on the next practice session—drivers often "test" the limits of these rules when they think the stewards aren't watching as closely.