Red Bull voiced concerns to Formula One officials ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, warning that Max Verstappen’s title rivals could attempt to bait the Dutchman into a race ban, according to team principal Christian Horner.
Verstappen arrived in Montreal with 11 penalty points on his FIA super licence, just one short of the 12-point threshold that triggers an automatic one-race suspension. He is not due to lose any of those points until after the Austrian Grand Prix on 29 June, placing him in a precarious position throughout the month.
Horner confirmed after Sunday’s race that Red Bull had approached FIA race director Rui Marques following Friday’s drivers’ briefing to raise their concerns and request vigilance over any potential “gamesmanship.”
“It was inevitable that there was going to be some potential gamesmanship,” Horner told reporters. “It’s something that we raised after the drivers’ briefing with the race director, just so that they were mindful of it as well, because it was clear that kind of stuff goes on.
We just said to him, ‘Look, could they please keep an eye on it because obviously comments have been raised in the media.’”
Those comments referenced remarks made by George Russell, who secured pole position on Saturday and joked that he had “more penalty points to play with than Max,” implying he could be more aggressive.
Russell went on to win the race on Sunday, with Verstappen finishing second. After the chequered flag, Red Bull lodged a protest against Russell, alleging unsportsmanlike behaviour during a safety car period.
In the protest, Red Bull claimed that Russell braked “unnecessarily and erratically” behind the safety car on the back straight and issued a team radio message accusing Verstappen of overtaking illegally. The team argued that the message demonstrated “unsportsmanlike intent” and that Russell’s actions forced Verstappen into an unavoidable breach.
They further suggested that onboard footage showed Russell checking his mirrors before braking, implying an attempt to lure Verstappen into an infringement.
However, stewards dismissed the protest, concluding that there had been no evidence of unsporting behaviour. Russell denied any wrongdoing and clarified that he had no intention of triggering an investigation, while Mercedes noted they had not filed any complaint regarding the incident.
The episode is the second protest Red Bull have lodged against Russell in five races, highlighting a growing on-track rivalry between the Mercedes driver and the reigning world champion.
With tensions simmering and Verstappen still walking a disciplinary tightrope, all eyes will now turn to the Red Bull Ring, where the stakes could rise even further.
