A few laps before the end of the Miami Grand Prix, a radio message from Red Bull to Max Verstappen suggested that it would be necessary to wait for a few more hours after the race to have a final classification for the American round.
The request from the team to stay within five seconds of George Russell’s Mercedes clearly indicated that Red Bull had noticed something unusual in the British driver’s race conduct, so much so that they believed there could be grounds for a penalty, which would have allowed Verstappen to move up to the podium in case of a sanction.
These assumptions turned into an official protest from the Milton Keynes team after the race, claiming that Russell hadn’t slowed down enough under the yellow flag during lap 32. Verstappen himself, always very aware of these situations, noticed the incident and quickly reported it to the team for verification.
However, the FIA rejected the protest filed by Red Bull, allowing the Mercedes driver to retain his podium finish, while Verstappen finished fourth, marking a weekend of mixed feelings for the Anglo-Austrian team.
What was the basis for Red Bull’s protest?
Red Bull filed an official protest arguing that Russell hadn’t slowed down enough to show a real “reduction in speed,” as required by the regulations. The interpretation of what exactly constitutes a “reduction in speed” was central to both the team’s decision to file the protest and the final assessment by the race stewards.
“In our view, George Russell violated the rule as it’s written: that’s why we filed the protest. More than anything, we’re looking for clarity. The regulation talks about ‘reducing speed,’ not lifting off the throttle or release time: it just says reduce speed. Max noticed it immediately, from what he saw in the car,” said Team Principal Christian Horner after the race.
Formula 1’s sporting regulations, Article 26.1 a), state: “Any driver passing through a sector with a yellow flag must reduce speed and be prepared to change direction. For the stewards to consider that the driver has complied with these requirements, they are expected to have braked earlier and/or visibly reduced speed in the affected sector.”
Red Bull’s protest was based on a literal reading of the regulations, which indeed require a driver to reduce speed when passing through a yellow flag zone, even if it was only a single yellow flag.
During the hearing, Red Bull representatives Stephen Knowles (sporting manager) and Gianpiero Lambiase (Max Verstappen’s track engineer and head of on-track operations) argued that George Russell had passed the affected area at a higher speed than when entering it, thus violating the regulation.
Mercedes, represented by sporting director Ron Meadows and George Russell himself, countered that the widely accepted practice between teams and the FIA considers lifting off the throttle significantly to be sufficient. Additionally, the team emphasized that Russell’s throttle lift, as he had immediately reported over the radio, was “more pronounced than what was observed on other cars.”
Analyzing telemetry data, it’s clear that the Mercedes driver did indeed lift off the throttle in the affected section, partially easing off the accelerator but without fully disengaging it. This resulted in a reduction in speed, but at a less sustained rate. On the other hand, Verstappen completely lifted off the throttle, showing a clear reduction in speed in the yellow-flagged zone.
Why was the protest rejected?
Red Bull’s protest was rejected as unfounded: the stewards ruled that Russell had indeed reduced his speed, lifting off the throttle by about 25% of its range, resulting in a 30% decrease in engine torque. His speed in that section was, in fact, lower than in other “normal” laps.
One of the key elements in the stewards’ decision was the interpretation of the “reduction in speed” concept. The stewards highlighted that Article 26.1 doesn’t specify whether the reduction must occur in absolute terms (a net decrease in km/h compared to the start of the sector), or relative terms (going slower than the usual race pace in that zone).
The stewards concluded that a relative reduction in speed was sufficient to close the case: “The stewards establish that the requirement of Article 26.1 a) regarding the reduction of speed in a yellow-flagged zone can only refer to a reduction compared to normal racing speed, as the absolute reduction in speed, depending on the point on the track where the yellow flag is displayed, can represent both compliance and non-compliance with the regulation.”
“Instead, a relative reduction in speed always indicates that the driver has acknowledged and complied with the yellow flag. For example, in a braking zone, the absolute speed can be reduced without necessarily complying with the regulation.”
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