17/06/2025 10:11
Toto Wolff has branded Red Bull "petty and embarrassing" over its
decision to protest George Russell's Canadian Grand Prix victory.
In the aftermath of Russell's Montreal success over Max Verstappen,
Red Bull launched a protest, alleging unsportsmanlike conduct
against Russell and that he had allegedly fallen more than 10 car
lengths behind the late safety car. The 10-car length protest was
withdrawn but the FIA still had to investigate claims of
unsportsmanlike conduct against Russell, with Red Bull believing he
had deliberately slowed down to try and make Verstappen pass him,
to potentially get the world champion the one penalty point he
would need for a race ban. Ultimately, nearly five hours after the
race, the stewards dismissed the protest, meaning Russell's victory
stood, but Mercedes boss Wolff was far from happy with Red Bull's
decision to protest. "It is so petty and so small," Wolff told Sky
Sports F1. "They've done it in Miami, and they launched two
protests, and took one back because it was ridiculous. "They've
got to come up with some weird ISC or sporting code clauses and I
guess the FIA needs to look at that because it was so far-fetched.
"You race and you win and you lose on track. It was a fair victory
for us, like so many they had in the past, and it is just
embarrassing. "They didn't even follow one protest through because
it was nonsense, and the second hour took five hours, because it
referred to 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' or something, what is it
all about? "Why do you do that? Who decides it because I am 100%
sure that it is not Max, he is a racer, he would never go for a
protest on such trival matters." In response, Red Bull boss
Christian Horner defended the protest. "It is a team's right to do
so," he explained. "We saw something we didn't think was quite
right, and you have the ability to put it in front of the stewards,
so that is what we chose to do. "So there are absolutely no
regrets in that regard."
