Max Verstappen has broken his silence following the FIA’s announcement of a supplementary penalty against Red Bull Racing after the team’s unsuccessful protest against George Russell’s Canadian Grand Prix victory. The Dutch driver has distanced himself from the controversy, urging the sport to “get back to what matters.”

Red Bull, led by team principal Christian Horner, filed two formal protests alleging Russell violated FIA safety car procedures in the final laps in Montreal — one for “erratic driving” and another for “excessive distance behind the safety car.” After a five-hour review, the FIA dismissed both claims, declaring Russell’s actions within the rules.

FIA stewards, however, weren’t finished. In a post-race bulletin, the governing body announced that Red Bull had been issued an official reprimand for what they called “baseless and unsubstantiated accusations,” and warned that further misuse of protest procedures could result in fines or sanctions.

Reacting to the ruling, Verstappen — who finished second behind Russell in Montreal — struck a diplomatic tone:

“I understand the team’s point of view, but for me personally, I’d rather stay out of these kinds of battles. I want to race, not litigate. The FIA made their decision — now let’s focus on Austria.”

Russell, who now sits just 19 points behind Verstappen in the championship standings, didn’t hold back in his response, taking a swipe at Red Bull’s actions:

“Look, everyone’s under pressure in a title fight, but filing wild protests because things didn’t go your way? That’s not sportsmanship. Honestly, I think there should be penalties for these kinds of unfounded accusations.”

Christian Horner, however, defended Red Bull’s actions in an interview with Sky Sports at the premiere of the upcoming F1 movie in London:

“No regrets at all. We saw something that didn’t look right and exercised our right to question it. That’s what the rulebook is for.”

This marks the second time in 2025 that Red Bull has filed a protest over a George Russell result — the previous one in Miami was also rejected.

As the title battle intensifies heading into the Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring, tensions between Red Bull and Mercedes are clearly reaching a boiling point — with Verstappen and Russell increasingly becoming the faces of a modern F1 rivalry.