George Russell has kept his third-placed finish in the Miami Grand Prix after a post-race protest lodged by Red Bull against the Mercedes driver was rejected.
Russell finished one place ahead of Max Verstappen in the final podium berth on Sunday but Red Bull launched a protest against the Mercedes driver to the stewards afterwards, alleging the Briton had failed to sufficiently slow for a single-waved yellow flag during the race.
Stewards heard representatives from both teams in a hearing in the hours after the race but ultimately rejected Red Bull’s case.
Verstappen finished 2.3s behind Russell – who had jumped the Dutchman by pitting under a previous Virtual Safety Car – so any time penalty for the Mercedes driver could have handed the world champion third place instead of fourth.
In the hearing, Red Bull claimed that “while [Russell] lifted the throttle when the yellow flag was displayed, it did not reduce speed” and so argued the Mercedes car had not adhered to the regulations.
Mercedes representatives, however, said that the “common practice accepted by all teams and the FIA was and still is that significantly lifting the throttle in a yellow flag zone is considered as an appropriate reaction and they therefore complied with the relevant regulations”.
They said that Russell had duly “significantly” lifted off the throttle after seeing the stranded Sauber car of Gabriel Bortoleto at the side of the track.
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George Russell doubles over after complaining of stomach cramps in final ten laps of his third place finish at the Miami GP.
Stewards threw out Red Bull’s case – meaning the team also forfeited their protest deposit.
In their conclusions, stewards said: “It was evident from the onboard footage as well as from telemetry that Car 63 [Russell] 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.
“Article 26.1. a) requires the driver to have “discernibly reduced speed” in a yellow flag zone but does not specify if that means reducing the absolute speed or reducing the speed relative to the regular racing speed in the relevant part of the track.
“The speed of Car 63 in the yellow flag zone was considerably slower than the regular racing speed, but the absolute speed while passing through the yellow flag zone increased slightly.
“The Stewards determine that the requirement of Article 26.1 a) concerning the reduction of speed in a yellow flag zone can only relate to a reduction relative to the regular racing speed as the reduction of the absolute speed can, depending on the part of the track in which the yellow flag is displayed, represent a compliance or a non-compliance with the regulations whereas a reduction of the relative speed always signals that the driver has acknowledged and respected the yellow flag.
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on all the big talking points from the Miami Grand Prix.
“For instance, in a braking zone the absolute speed can be reduced without necessarily complying with the regulations.”
The decision means Russell retains his fourth podium finish in six races this season and leaves Miami just six points back on third-placed Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship.
Second-placed Mercedes are 36 points clear of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, although now 105 behind runaway leaders McLaren after the Woking team’s dominant one-two finish.
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