Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said the team’s decision to protest George Russell’s Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix victory was down to what he described as a “reasonably clear” attempt to seek out Max Verstappen’s crucial 12th penalty point.
Russell took victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Verstappen in second place, in what was, in reality, a dominant display from the Mercedes driver.
However, a late Safety Car caused by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s clash bunched-up the pack, with the race eventually finishing behind it.
With the laps ticking down, Russell slowed on the back straight before the final chicane, forcing Verstappen to momentarily overtake him, which Russell noted over team radio.
Verstappen communicated with his own pit wall, telling engineer Gianpiero Lambiase that Russell had been driving erratically.
This, coupled with a belief that Russell was outside the sufficient gap of 10 car lengths to the Safety Car, saw the Milton Keynes-based squad to issue a formal protest with the FIA.
But after around six hours after taking the chequered flag, the protest was thrown out, and Russell kept the win.
Needle between the pair has been a big talking point since they came together at the Spanish Grand Prix, in which Verstappen ended-up just one penalty point away from a one-race ban.
Speaking to media including Motorsport Week, Horner accused Russell of “obviously looking in his mirror for Max,” and when asked if he was trying to goad Verstappen to enforce something to incur the 12th penalty point, he added: “I think you could hear from George’s press comments yesterday, you know, his objective was reasonably clear.
“So yeah, I don’t think there was any surprises with that.”
Horner praises ‘squeaky clean’ Verstappen amid gamesmanship questions
Verstappen was irked prior to the race about the topic of the potential race ban looming over him, saying he was “pissed off” with the constant questions around it.
Horner praised his driver for his racecraft in Canada, and spoke of the mindfulness Red Bull had going into the race weekend, raising the possibility of gamesmanship with race director Rui Marques.
“Look, I think that, you know… is it inevitable that there was going to be some potential gamesmanship? It’s something that we raised after the driver’s briefing, with the race director, just so that they were mindful of it as well, because it’s clear that that kind of stuff goes on, so yeah.
“But Max, I thought he’s been squeaky clean all weekend, and drove a very good race today.”
READ MORE – George Russell wins F1 Canadian GP as McLaren drivers clash
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