FIA reject Red Bull’s protest against Mercedes George Russell
5th May 2025The FIA have rejected Red Bull Racing’s protest that George Russell did not slow under yellow flags during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
Following the result of the Miami GP, where Oscar Piastri led a dominant 1-2 finish for McLaren and Russell completed the race in third, Red Bull had protested against the Mercedes driver for failing to slow under yellow flags.
However, this has been rejected by the FIA. This followed off from a series of yellow flags and Virtual Safety Car deployments.
They claimed the Mercedes driver ‘did not reduce speed’ in the yellow flag zone and, therefore, did not comply with the requirements of the sporting regulations. Red Bull said their driver, Max Verstappen, who was running directly behind Russell at the time had lifted and reduced his speed.
Mercedes argued that it was ‘common practice’ for the drivers to lift the throttle significantly during this scenario, and it is considered appropriate and compliant with the regulations. They claim Russell had seen the single yellow flag and the stranded car, and lifted to react to the yellow flag. Mercedes argued that their driver had lifted more significantly than the other cars.
Following the protest, the Stewards’ found that Russell had lifted around 25% and it resulted in a reduction of torque by approximately 30%. They found the Mercedes speed in the yellow flag zone was considerably slower than racing speed. They said:
DOC 84 – Decision – Red Bull – Protest against Car 63 https://t.co/nVLPv627jK #MiamiGP #F1 #FIA pic.twitter.com/ZEkXyAc27k
— FIA (@fia) May 5, 2025
“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.
“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.”
As such, the FIA rejected Red Bull’s claims and Russell keeps his third-place finish at the Miami Grand Prix as Verstappen retains fourth place.
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
