Pourquoi Verstappen et non Russell méritait une pénalité au Canada

The session lasted a gruelling forty-five minutes, during which Red Bull pleaded their case to the stewards. According to the Austrians, Russell unnecessarily braked hard under the safety car, which was labelled as dangerous driving. This was deemed a deliberate action to incriminate Verstappen - who noticed Russell's braking too late and momentarily drove in front of the Mercedes against the rules - in order to impose a penalty on him.

As evidence of unsporting behaviour, Red Bull showed footage where Russell is seen looking in his mirror before hitting the brakes. Furthermore, they complained over the team radio about Verstappen temporarily overtaking, hoping the race directors would hear this and take action against the Dutchman.

Red Bull also indicated that Russell should have known that the race was going to end behind the safety car, making it unnecessary to warm up his brakes.

Ultimately, the stewards unequivocally dismissed Red Bull's complaint, and, simply looking at the facts, that decision was justifiable. The stewards agreed with the defence that Russell braked for two reasons: to maintain a safe distance to the safety car, and to keep the temperature of the tyres and brakes up.

The fact that Russell first looked in his mirrors was actually a plus. It prevented Max Verstappen from crashing into his gearbox, thus not ending up in the back of his car. Also, data from his Mercedes showed that Russell applied a brake pressure of 30 psi, which was not an unusual number behind the safety car.

Moreover, it should not be forgotten that the first car behind the safety car essentially sets the pace. All cars behind it need to anticipate this, including Verstappen, who, at all times, had to be aware that Russell could brake. The Dutchman was caught off guard, causing his car to exceed the Mercedes. Since this was truly accidental, it's understandable that no penalty followed. However, according to the regulations, Verstappen could well have received one.

A second protest from Red Bull concerned the excessive space that Russell, 'three times', left to the safety car. However, the stewards ruled that it is normal for cars to sometimes leave a gap, among other things, to keep the tyres and brakes at the right temperature. On average, Russell adhered to the rules, which resulted in Red Bull losing this protest as well.