Did Russell really brake-tested Verstappen to get him a penalty under Safety Car?

After a masterfully driven race, George Russell secured his first victory of the season in Montreal, managing to keep at bay a Max Verstappen who never really posed a genuine threat to the Englishman.

Yet, even though the two did not come into direct contact this time, they somehow managed to create another heated situation that has been sparking a lot of discussion among social media users in the past few hours.

This is the question many have started to ask themselves, but is it really so?

Analyzing the incident from the Dutch driver's onboard camera, it is possible to see how the Mercedes driver suddenly slows down, not allowing the Red Bull driver to get close behind him. Verstappen also locked up his front right tire, but the speed difference was still too wide.

''George suddenly just aggressively braked'', said Verstappen via radio.

''Verstappen just overtook me under the safety car'', replied Russell then moving back ahead and slotting in behind the Safety Car. Could he really have slammed on the brakes on purpose to get Verstappen under investigation?