Toto Wolff tears into Red Bull’s ‘petty’ and ’embarrassing’ protest against George Russell – after Mercedes star won race following Max Verstappen incident

• Max Verstappen and George Russell were involved in another incident in Canada
• Red Bull accused the Mercedes man of being erratic and unsportsmanlike
• But Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has hit back at their ’embarrassing’ claims  

By LUKE POWER

Toto Wolff has branded Red Bull’s protest against George Russell ’embarrassing’ after the Englishman zoomed to victory at the Canadian GP.  

Red Bull accused Russell of driving erratically and displaying unsportsmanlike conduct towards Max Verstappen during a late safety car incident. 

The safety car was caused on lap of 70 after Lando Norris had collided with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, forcing his retirement and his car to need recovering.

Verstappen marginally overtook Russell for a split second, but the Dutchman accused Russell of ‘braking erratically’ going up to Turn 13. 

Red Bull’s protest – the latest in a soap opera of clashes between the pair – was dismissed and Russell held on for his first win of the season, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli finishing third. 

Mercedes chief Wolff told Sky Sports: ‘First of all, it took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. You know, honestly, it’s so petty and so small.

Toto Wolff has branded Red Bull’s protest against George Russell as ’embarrassing’ 

They accused Russell of braking erratically and unsportsmanlike conudct towards Max Verstappen

Verstappen felt Russell had slowed down too quickly under safety car conditions in Canada

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

‘They come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it’s so farfetched it was rejected.

‘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.

‘One of them they actually pulled as a protest, they didn’t even follow it through because it was nonsense.

‘The second one took us five hours because 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 per cent sure it’s not Max, he’s a racer.

‘He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing.’

Verstappen was given a five-place penalty at the Spanish GP and given three points on his licence – he is now one away from a race ban – for causing a collision with Russell.

The Dutchman said he was ‘p****d off’ with ‘childish’ comments about a potential ban in the build-up to the Canadian GP.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner – poictured with wife Geri Halliwell at the world premiere of the F1 movie – defended his team’s right to protest 

Russell won his first race of the season while team-mate Kimi Antonelli came third 

After the latest spat, Red Bull boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports: ‘

‘No, absolutely not [no regrets. I mean, it’s a team’s right to do so. You know, we saw something we didn’t think was quite right.

‘You have the ability to put it in front of the stewards and so that’s what we chose to do. Absolutely no regrets in that.’

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Toto Wolff tears into Red Bull’s ‘petty’ and ’embarrassing’ protest against George Russell – after Mercedes star won race following Max Verstappen incident

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