Wolff dismisses Red Bull protest as petty and embarrassing

Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has dismissed Red Bull’s failed protest of George Russell’s Canadian Grand Prix win as petty and embarrassing.

Stewards threw out the protest some five and a half hours after the chequered flag came down on the race in Montreal on Sunday.

The team had accused Russell of unsportsmanlike behaviour, suggesting he had tried deliberately to get second placed Max Verstappen into trouble while the safety car was deployed, knowing the champion was at risk of a ban.

“It took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. Honestly, it’s so petty and so small,” Wolff told Sky Sports television at the New York premiere of the Brad Pitt movie “F1” on Monday night.

CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Toto Wolff and his daughter Rosa Wolff attend the world premiere of "F1" at Times Square in New York on Monday. AFP

“They’ve done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous.

“They (Red Bull) come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it’s so far-fetched it was rejected,” added the Austrian.

“You know, you race, you win and you lose on track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it’s just embarrassing.”

Russell and four times world champion Verstappen have a long-standing rivalry and Red Bull have protested twice in the space of five races against the Mercedes driver.

In Miami in May they protested the Briton’s third place, arguing the driver had failed to slow when yellow flags were waved during a virtual safety car period. Verstappen was fourth that time. That protest was also rejected.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen during a press conference ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. File/Reuters

The win in Canada was Mercedes’ first in 10 races so far this season.

Wolff, who has also had plenty of past run-ins with Horner, wondered who was behind the Red Bull protests but cleared Verstappen of any guilt.

“I don’t even know what you refer to as ‘unsportsmanlike behaviour’ or something. What is it all about? Who decides it? Because I’m 100% sure it’s not Max, he’s a racer. He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing,” he said.

Horner said Red Bull had no regrets about the protest and were simply exercising their rights because they saw something they did not think was correct. The next race is in Austria at Red Bull’s home circuit on June 29.

Agencies