George Russell keeps Canadian GP victory over Max Verstappen after late Red Bull protest

Red Bull launched a protest to the FIA around 90 minutes after the end of the Montreal race

George Russell has kept his Canadian Grand Prix victory despite a dramatic late Red Bull protest – with the final result only confirmed five-and-a-half hours after the end of the race.

Pole-sitter Russell held off the challenge of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to clinch victory on the road – his fourth in Formula 1 and first of the 2025 season.

Yet around 90 minutes after the race concluded, news emerged from the FIA that Red Bull had launched a protest against Russell for an undisclosed reason. Verstappen overtook Russell under the safety car late in the race, complaining that the Brit had brake-tested him.

Russell and Verstappen were in the stewards room for 45 minutes (Getty)

Yet at gone 9:15pm local time, nearly six hours after the 70-lap race concluded, the stewards dismissed Red Bull’s protest over potential safety car infringements.

It is the latest incident between arch rivals Russell and Verstappen, whose feud first blew up at the end of last season before reigniting in Spain two weeks ago, when Verstappen deliberately rammed into the Mercedes driver.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed the protest in his post-race media briefing, detailing: "Two protests that we've put to the stewards, that we've asked them to have a look at.

“Firstly, relating to the erratic driving behind the safety car, where George very heavily braked, obviously looking in his mirror for Max.

"The second one is very clearly the distance that was left behind the safety car that was well in excess, I think at least three times in excess, of the permitted distance.

“So, it's within our right to obviously protest that. So, we've lodged the protest."

Asked further if Verstappen had encouraged a protest against his arch-rival, Horner replied: "No, not at all. Max was talking to you guys, and had no idea.

“It's within a competitor's right to raise a protest. It's €2000 per protest and we were surprised that they weren't noted and sent to the stewards."

Verstappen had earlier explained how he saw the safety car period, in his post-race interview with Sky F1: "I think we were both trying to say to the safety car to speed up because he was only going 120kp/h, but maybe the safety car was doing that to give a bit more time to maybe get a race lap in.

"Then I think George was trying to speed up to the safety car. I was trying to do the same, and once he tried to speed up the safety car, he backed out and then caused a bit of confusion.

The FIA regulations state: “In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out, drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking, nor any manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart.”