Wolff criticizes Red Bull: “Petty” protest after Russell’s victory in Canada

Wolff calls Red Bull’s attempt to protest Russell’s victory “petty”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has called Red Bull’s attempt to protest George Russell’s victory at the Canadian Grand Prix “petty” and “shameful”. After Russell beat Max Verstappen to secure the first victory of the season for Mercedes in Montreal, the driver was called to the stewards on Sunday night. Red Bull alleged that Russell had “shown unsportsmanlike intent” by braking excessively behind a late safety car. Although Russell braked behind the safety car, the stewards found nothing erratic in his car’s behavior and declared that reporting Verstappen overtaking the Mercedes behind the safety car, which is against the regulations, did not constitute unsportsmanlike conduct. More than five hours after the checkered flag, the stewards finally rejected the protest, declaring it unfounded and confirming Russell’s victory. Speaking to the media before the release of the F1 film in New York, Wolff criticized the actions of his rivals, who also unsuccessfully protested against Russell in Miami for not slowing down under yellow flags.

First of all, the Red Bull Racing team took two hours to file the protest, so that was on them. You know, honestly, it’s so petty and so small.

Toto Wolff

Wolff added that Red Bull had already filed similar protests in Miami, withdrawing one of them for considering it ridiculous. He criticized the “strange clauses” presented by the rival team, suggesting that the FIA should review them for being “absurd”. Wolff emphasized that victories and defeats must be decided on the track, and that Russell’s victory was fair. Furthermore, he mentioned that he is not sure who decides what is “unsportsmanlike” conduct. Before the protest, Verstappen stated that both he and Russell felt that the safety car was moving too slowly on the back straight, so they tried to speed up the pace and then had to brake sharply, indicating that he did not believe Russell had done anything wrong. Red Bull boss Christian Horner also spoke about the protest, stating that he did not regret having presented it, despite the team losing a 2,000 euro deposit when it was rejected. Horner defended the team’s right to question what they considered incorrect and to present it to the stewards.