George Russell has officially addressed the controversy surrounding his 2025 Canadian Grand Prix victory, after Red Bull Racing lodged two formal protests with the FIA in an effort to ᵴtriƥ the Mercedes driver of his win. Despite the post-race chaos, FIA stewards ultimately dismissed both of Red Bull’s claims, confirming Russell’s triumph in Montreal.
Russell led from pole and managed to hold off Max Verstappen in a tense final stint before the race ended under the safety car, triggered by a dramatic crash between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
However, the spotlight quickly turned to the two protests filed by Red Bull. The first alleged that Russell engaged in erratic driving behind the safety car, including a heavy brake test, seemingly in an attempt to bait Verstappen into a mistake. The second complaint claimed that Russell made a false accusation over team radio that Verstappen had overtaken him, which Red Bull argued constituted unsportsmanlike conduct.
After nearly six hours of deliberation, the stewards rejected both claims. In their decision, they stated:
“We accept the driver of Car 63’s [Russell’s] explanation of the incident and are satisfied that he did not drive erratically. We are also not satisfied that reporting an overtake attempt over the radio amounts to unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Speaking to reporters following the ruling, George Russell broke his silence with a calm but firm response:
“Honestly, I’m not surprised by the protests. We’re in a tight title fight, and emotions are high. But I stand by everything I did out there,” Russell said.
“The FIA reviewed the footage, the data, and heard us both out. They concluded what I already knew—I drove within the rules and earned that victory fair and square.”
He added with a subtle jab:
“If Red Bull wants to win races, they should focus more on their pace than paperwork.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, defended the protests, stating:
“There were two specific incidents that raised flags for us—the braking pattern and the excessive gap to the safety car. We felt it was appropriate to let the stewards make the call. We accept the decision, but we had to raise it.”
Despite the failed protest, Verstappen retains his third-place standing in the Drivers’ Championship. Russell’s win now places him just 22 points behind the Dutchman, with the season heating up as the F1 circus heads to Austria.
As for Russell, the 2025 Canadian GP will go down not only as a career highlight but also as a race where he successfully defended his win on and off the track.
