Formula 1: Red Bull protest against Mercedes driver Russell

Red Bull failed with his protest against George Russell in the Mercedes after Miami Grand Prix. The racing commissioners rejected him as unfounded. The Mercedes pilot remains on the podium directly in front of the fourth-placed Red Bull driver and Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen.

The racing team had complained that Russell had been in the race despite the yellow flags after kick-Sauber pilot Gabriel Bortoleto had come to a standstill at the course in Florida. In the event of success, this could have caused a punishment that would have promoted the Dutch to 3rd place, since he crossed the finish line only 2.3 seconds behind the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen had tried to push Russell from third place at the end of the race. The Red Bull star could no longer do it and had to be satisfied with four.

Russell misses the press conference

However, his team instructed Verstappen to pursue the suspicion of Russell. The Red Bull command state later warned the four-time world champion via radio not to have more than five seconds behind the Mercedes. Red Bull speculated with a time penalty against Russell, who missed the official press conference of the best three drivers for health reasons.

In the World Cup ranking, Verstappen already has 32 points behind the World Cup leading Oscar Piatri in the McLaren. The next race will take place in Imola in two weeks.