Red Bull Protests Against George Russell for Alleged Yellow Flag Infraction

The thrilling race at the Miami Grand Prix took an unexpected turn when Red Bull lodged a protest against George Russell, accusing him of failing to slow under yellow flags. With Lewis Hamilton out of contention and Max Verstappen hot on his heels, Russell found himself in third place.

Virtual Safety Car Deployed After Bortoleto’s Retirement

The virtual safety car was deployed following the retirement of Gabriel Bortoleto due to power unit concerns. With Verstappen behind Russell, he expressed his frustration over the radio, “Check if George lifted, it was a yellow,” he told his team.

Despite no immediate investigation by the stewards during the race, Russell managed to secure third place on the podium, with Verstappen finishing just over two seconds behind after being instructed to maintain a five-second gap by Red Bull, who were clearly planning a protest.

Both Russell and Red Bull were summoned at 1915 local time, although Russell had earlier excused himself from press conference duties due to “medical reasons”. Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, acknowledged the situation when asked about Red Bull’s radio message during the race. “I think there was a situation in terms of yellow flags,” he said. “I think this is what Max said on the radio to check. I’m not sure…not that we are aware of it.