MIAMI GARDENS, Fla — George Russell kept his podium finish at the Miami Grand Prix after a post-race Red Bull protest was thrown out by the stewards. Red Bull had claimed Russell broke yellow flag rules midway through the contest.
On Lap 33, shortly after Gabriele Bortoleto’s Sauber had stopped on track due to engine trouble, a radio message from Max Verstappen was played saying: “Check if George lifted, there was a yellow.”
Drivers are required to slow their speed in cautionary periods.
Verstappen ended up finishing behind Russell – in the closing stages, a message from race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase encouraged the four-time world champion to stay within five seconds of the Mercedes driver.
In a visit to the stewards after the finish Red Bull attempted to argue that while Russell might have lifted off the throttle, he had not done so enough to alter his speed sufficiently and within the requirements of the rules.
The stewards disagreed with their assessment.
Their verdict read: “It was evident from the onboard footage as well as from telemetry that Car 63 lifted the throttle when passing the yellow flag zone. The throttle was lifted by approx. 25 percent and this resulted in a reduction of torque of approx. 30 percent.” The verdict meant the order was unchanged, with Russell ahead of Verstappen.
