Why Red Bull’s protest in F1 Canada GP may be linked to Max Verstappen’s 2026 future. Red Bull's post-race protest against Mercedes in Canada was rejected by the FIA, but behind the scenes.

Protest rejected
At the end of the Canadian Grand Prix, which was held last Sunday at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Red Bull lodged an official protest with the FIA regarding George Russell’s behavior on track under the Safety Car. The British team claimed that the Montreal race winner had braked irregularly during the neutralization of the race, a circumstance dismissed by the Federation as “unfounded.”

The backstory
As already seen in the clash at Barcelona, again involving George Russell and Max Verstappen, Toto Wolff was once more gentle toward the Dutch champion. The Austrian manager harshly criticized Red Bull, sparing Max Verstappen: “I know 100% it wasn’t Max’s fault. He’s a driver and would never have filed a complaint over something so trivial.”

Michael Schmidt, in his podcast on Auto, Motor und Sport, shared his view of what happened: “I think Red Bull protested because they’re still afraid Max Verstappen could leave them for Mercedes next year. They wanted to show their driver that they would do anything for him, even file a protest – regardless of how slim the chances were of it being upheld.”

In short, what happened after the race appears to be tied to Max Verstappen’s future – both Red Bull’s move, willing to do anything for their champion, and Toto Wolff’s, who has lately been quite soft on the Dutchman…