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Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya expressed his annoyance at Red Bull’s protest against the results of the Canadian Grand Prix. George Russell won the main event in Montreal behind the safety car, with Max Verstappen hot on his heels. Afterwards, Red Bull attempted to enforce a time penalty for Russell, alleging that he had deliberately braked. “It’s like a kindergarten,” Montoya said of Red Bull’s tactics.
Hours after he had defeated Max Verstappen and thus secured Mercedes’ first victory of the season, George Russell was still required to report to the stewards in Canada. Red Bull had lodged a protest against his win, claiming that the Brit had behaved ‘unsportingly’. Russell was alleged to have suddenly braked behind the safety car, causing Verstappen to unintentionally overtake him. According to Red Bull, the Mercedes driver deliberately put his rival in trouble.
Montoya considered Red Bull’s protest to be exaggerated and childish. “I think if Russell really did brake and Verstappen overtook him as a result, the stewards should seriously investigate,” he told CasinoHawks. “But now it seems like a kindergarten. Why would you protest about this? It reminds me of the discussions you used to hear on the radio when team bosses’ onboard radios were open to the FIA.”
Potential Suspension
“You heard Mercedes and Red Bull arguing as if they were complaining to the teacher,” Montoya joked. “It’s so much better now without all that bickering.” A possible reason why Red Bull insisted on a penalty for Russell is the fact that Verstappen is only one penalty point away from a suspension. Montoya believes that the Red Bull driver is indeed feeling the pressure of a possible disqualification. “The prospect of a suspension is affecting Max’s driving style,” said the Colombian. “The last thing he needs right now is to miss a race.”
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“He had the speed to attack George and was even ahead of McLaren,” emphasized Montoya. “I’m pretty sure there was an intense discussion within Red Bull about how he should behave this weekend. It’s impossible to pretend nothing is going on. They must have said something like: ‘Max, we can’t afford mistakes – we simply have to win.’ You could see that Verstappen had a good start, but didn’t really attack afterwards. He didn’t push. Normally, you see him go to the limit in the first round, but he didn’t do that this time.”
Juan Pablo Montoya was annoyed with Red Bull’s tactics after the GP of Canada. The Austrians lodged a protest against the victory of George Russell.
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