Miami Grand Prix Developments
MIAMI, Fla. — During the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Red Bull advised Max Verstappen, who was in fourth place behind George Russell, to keep within a five-second gap of the Mercedes driver. This was in case Russell faced a penalty after the race.
Currently, Red Bull is actively pursuing issues surrounding the event.
The team has lodged a protest against Russell, claiming that Mercedes drivers did not adequately reduce their speed during the yellow flags in the race. According to FIA regulations, Article 2.5.5b, drivers must slow down for a single yellow flag and significantly reduce speed for a double yellow flag.
At one point, Verstappen communicated with his team to check on Russell’s speed, questioning whether the Mercedes driver had slowed down under the yellow flag.
In a post-race media session, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner discussed the protests initiated by the team.
“As we observed, we filed a protest with the FIA regarding George Russell,” he mentioned. “The regulations clearly state that speeds must decrease, but cars continued to gain speed. It was noticeably slower than usual, with no substantial reduction.”
Horner later brought up the Red Bull protest again while talking about potential protests targeting McLaren.
Interestingly, McLaren’s tire temperature management has been a hot topic in the paddock, discussed not only in Red Bull’s area but also among others like Toto Wolff and Frederic Vasseur. However, that’s another matter entirely.
When asked about possible protests against McLaren, Horner took a moment to commend their performance this year, redirecting the conversation back to the issues with Russell.
“We haven’t claimed anything illegal regarding McLaren. Our protest concerns George Russell, as we believe he violated the regulations regarding speed reduction,” Horner clarified. “The rules clearly state a slowdown is required.”
“It’s not just about lifting off the throttle,” he stressed. “It’s about actually reducing speed. Max flagged this immediately based on what he observed from his cockpit.”
Both Russell and Red Bull representatives were called for discussions with race officials at 7:15 PM local time.
A five-second penalty would have elevated Verstappen to third place, as he finished just two seconds behind Russell.
