In a nail-biting turn of events at the Miami F1 Grand Prix, George Russell of Mercedes faced a fierce protest from Red Bull, alleging he failed to slow down appropriately under yellow flags when Gabriel Bortoleto’s car stalled on the track due to a power unit issue. The protest was triggered while Russell was comfortably holding onto third place, with Max Verstappen trailing behind.
Verstappen raised concerns over the team radio, prompting Red Bull to investigate whether Russell complied with the yellow flag regulations. Despite no immediate inquiry during the race, Red Bull seemed poised to challenge Russell’s actions, even instructing Verstappen to stay within five seconds of Russell at the finish line – hinting at a potential time penalty anticipation.
Post-race, both parties were summoned to discuss the issue. Russell, absent from the press conference due to “medical reasons,” faced the race stewards late into the night. After scrutinizing onboard footage and telemetry data, the stewards confirmed Russell had indeed lifted off the throttle and significantly reduced speed, meeting the requirements of sporting regulations Article 26.1. Although his speed briefly increased when passing the yellow flag zone, his overall behavior was deemed compliant.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff downplayed the controversy, stating that while Verstappen raised a concern, the team was unaware of any wrongdoing. Ultimately, the stewards deemed the protest unfounded, allowing Russell to retain his hard-earned third place, with Verstappen finishing just over two seconds adrift.