The team lodged a complaint against the Mercedes driver’s win for “allegedly driving erratically under Safety Car and displaying unsportsmanlike behaviour by complaining that Car 1 had overtaken under Safety Car conditions.”
Representatives from both Red Bull and Mercedes, as well as Max Verstappen and Russell, were summoned to the stewards after the race, with the protest later being dismissed.
During the late-race Safety Car period — triggered by the collision between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — Verstappen briefly moved ahead of Russell on the back straight after the British driver appeared to brake suddenly heading toward the final chicane.
Russell was quick to raise the issue on team radio, while Verstappen complained that Russell had “braked too aggressively.”
In official documents released after the race, the FIA stated: “We accept the driver of Car 63’s explanation of the incident and are satisfied that the driver did not drive erratically by braking where he did or to the extent he did.”
As a result of the FIA’s decision, Russell retains his Canadian Grand Prix victory.
A similar incident involving Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Williams driver Carlos Sainz also occurred in the closing stages, with Sainz narrowly avoiding contact as they exited the pit lane while the safety car led the field through.
Ocon braked suddenly at Turn 2 on pit exit and later explained to stewards that he had done so after receiving an “audible warning of a double yellow zone and a double yellow delta warning” on his steering wheel.
The incident was noted, with the FIA saying it was satisfied with Ocon’s explanation.
Ocon received a separate warning for “overtaking under Safety Car conditions after the chequered flag,” along with four other drivers — Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, and Kimi Antonelli — who were also given warnings.
The FIA also reviewed an incident involving Ocon’s teammate, Oliver Bearman. The British driver was issued a warning for “failure to follow the race director’s instructions” after using the run-off area at Turn 13 in an attempted overtake on Franco Colapinto.
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