George Russell says he is open to changes to Formula 1’s protest system after describing Red Bull’s recent challenge against him in Canada as “a bit of a faff” and “not really necessary”.
The Mercedes driver questioned whether the current €2,000 protest fee is enough to discourage teams from launching speculative challenges.
It comes after Red Bull lodged an appeal against his Canadian Grand Prix victory, claiming he drove erratically under Safety Car conditions and failed to maintain the required gap to the Safety Car.
The protest was rejected and since then, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff branded the move by his rivals as “petty” and “embarrassing”.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Russell reflected on F1’s protest system and questioned the current financial penalty for unsuccessful challenges.
He suggested that raising the initial deposit required to lodge a protest could discourage teams from launching what he sees as unnecessary complaints.
“Yeah, 100%,” Russell said. “When you look at the financial penalties for using swear words in the heat of the moment, or touching a rear wing, €2,000 for a team making nine-figure profits is not even going to touch the side.
“It’s not even going to be thought about, so yeah, potentially, if it was a six-figure sum to be put down, maybe they would think twice about it.
“You do get your money back if you win a protest, so it’s basically your own risk.
“At the moment, €2,000 for a Formula 1 team is not even a consideration.”
Max Verstappen was also asked about the events in Montreal, but the Dutchman made it clear he was ready to move on: “I think everything has been said about Montreal.
“I have nothing to add from that race. It doesn’t help anything to keep talking about it.”
Russell slams Red Bull protest, calls for tougher rules on race complaints
The 27-year-old continued to dismiss Red Bull’s protest against him in Canada as unnecessary and overblown.
“It was nothing, and it all came from Red Bull, as opposed to Max — I don’t think he was even aware of the protests,” Russell expanded.
“It was pretty clear there wasn’t going to be any penalty. My personal view is that they wanted to go and be offensive to protect Max in case he got a penalty for going ahead of me during the Safety Car incident.
“My personal view is that it was just a bit of a faff and not really necessary.”
Russell’s comments come as the FIA has finally revealed the revised racing guidelines and penalty framework for 2025.
By calling for a higher deposit on protests, Russell echoes a wider push within F1 to discourage frivolous complaints and keep the focus on racing.
The updated penalty framework has been in effect since the start of the season, but as ever, it may need further adjustments to address ongoing concerns — such as the adequacy of protest fines — highlighted by the recent Red Bull dispute.
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