George Russell has been officially confirmed as the winner of the Canadian Grand Prix – albeit over five hours after the checkered flag – after the event’s stewards dismissed Red Bull’s protest over his driving during a late Safety Car period.
The Mercedes driver had taken his first win of the 2025 season in Montreal, but celebrations were briefly put on hold after Red Bull launched a formal protest against his actions in the closing laps of the race.
Max Verstappen, who finished second, had been close behind Russell when a Safety Car was deployed following a collision between the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner accused Russell of braking erratically and falling too far behind the Safety Car, alleging a breach of the rules. Additionally, the team cited what they considered "unsportsmanlike" behaviour, claiming that Russell wrongly reported Verstappen had overtaken him under Safety Car conditions.
Both Russell and Verstappen were summoned to the stewards’ office after the race, with deliberations lasting around 45 minutes. The final decision was announced at 21:05 local time — five and a half hours after the chequered flag.
Stewards Reject Red Bull's Allegations
The FIA stewards rejected Red Bull’s protest in full, citing a lack of foundation for any of the claims. The official ruling stated:
“Protest lodged by Oracle Red Bull Racing against Car 63 for allegedly driving erratically under Safety Car and displaying unsportsmanlike behaviour by complaining that Car 1 had overtaken under Safety Car conditions. Stewards’ Decision: The Protest is rejected as it is not founded.”
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In total, Red Bull raised seven points of contention. Mercedes defended Russell’s actions during the hearing, with the team represented by the driver himself, sporting director Ron Meadows, and trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin.
In their detailed response, the stewards offered full backing to Russell’s handling of the situation:
“We accept the driver of Car 63’s explanation of the incident and we are satisfied that the driver of Car 63 did not drive erratically by braking where he did or to the extent he did.
“We are not satisfied that by simply reporting to his team that Car 1 had overtaken that he engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct. Even though the protest did not allege it, we are also satisfied that by braking where and when he did and to the extent he did, the driver of Car 63 did not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct.”
With the protest formally dismissed, Russell’s victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve stands, marking his fourth career win in F1 and a much-needed boost for Mercedes in what has been a challenging season so far.
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