Russell will pay for screwing with Max

2025 F1 austrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen George Russell — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2025

George Russell will pay for screwing with Verstappen - Dutch F1 insider

After beating the king of F1 in Canada, the Mercedes star is about to enter the lion's den.

Jan Bolscher Senior Editor en Formule 1-verslaggever

Geaccrediteerde sportjournalist, doet verslag vanuit de Formule 1-paddock sinds 2019

Sunday 22 June 2025 13:55 Updated: 14:08

Last Sunday the George Russell vs Max Verstappen F1 feud reached new heights in that acrimonious post-race protest after the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes star came away victorious from Montreal, but GPFans Netherlands paddock insider Jan Bolscher believes payback is just around the corner. Next up is the Austrian Grand Prix, and George will enter the lion's den - quite literally.

Bolscher gives his take on what happened at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and the fallout coming up at the Red Bull Ring.

Article continues under video

George Russell played with fire at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix by apparently trying to get Max Verstappen banned from F1 - remember the mighty Dutchman is just one point away from a one-race suspension.

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George might have won the battle in Montreal, but there is likely to be a price to pay for his actions late in that race. And that price will come at the Red Bull Ring when he comes face to face with Verstappen's 'Orange Army'.

Once again they will pack the circuit in their tens of thousands, and Russell will very much be in their sights. After playing with fire in Canada, George will definitely find it hot in Spielberg.

The Canadian Grand Prix ended behind the safety car after that late crash by Lando Norris with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. Then all hell broke loose.

As the field headed for the chequered flag at a leisurely pace with the tension seemingly drained from the race, something remarkable happened.

Russell - the leader in the race - suddenly slammed on the brakes, allowing Verstappen from second position to briefly pass him. The Mercedes driver immediately called over the radio that the Dutchman had passed him under the safety car, while Verstappen in turn reported that Russell had suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Remarkable action behind the safety car

At first it seemed like a deliberate action by Russell. After all, it is no secret that Verstappen currently has 11 penalty points to his name, two of which will only expire on June 30. If he had received one penalty point in Canada, he would have been suspended for the race weekend in Austria.

George seemed to be deliberately trying to screw Max over with that looming suspension. After all, overtaking behind the safety car is prohibited and especially in the current Formula 1 climate in which there is no telling what the race management will decide, this could easily have earned him that disastrous 12th penalty point.

Anger on social media, but a calm Verstappen

The reactions of angry fans flooded in on social media, and a number of experts and analysts also reached out to X, where Russell's action was mainly called "unnecessary".

Verstappen himself reacted calmly afterwards and said he did not know exactly why Russell braked so hard, but he did say that the safety car was driving very slowly:

"Maybe he wanted to indicate that the safety car had to drive faster", was one of the theories. The Dutchman - who remember still has to get through Austria without penalty points in order not to miss the upcoming British Grand Prix at Silverstone - seems to have decided to behave like a monk for the time being and avoid further controversy.

Maybe there was indeed not that much going on, but Russell didn't exactly help himself by immediately shouting over the radio that Verstappen had overtaken him.

Verstappen was calm after the race in Canada.

Red Bull files TWO protests against Russell

Christian Horner and the Red Bull Racing clearly thought this was the case too - as they filed not one but two protests against Russell's victory. One for "unpredictable driving" (article 55.5 of the sporting regulations), referring to hard braking. And one for "unsportsmanlike conduct" (article 12.2.1.m of the International Sporting Code), because he immediately called over the radio that Verstappen had overtaken him. That, according to Red Bull, showed that Russell was trying to get him a penalty.

Verstappen told the stewards after the race that Russell's sudden braking on the straight between Turns 12 and 13 had come as a surprise to him, and that he could not help overtaking.

Red Bull arrived at the hearing with telemetry data from the acceleration and braking of both cars. The team suggested that Russell deliberately wanted to incur a penalty for Verstappen and produced evidence that Russell checked his mirrors before braking. The team also suggested that Russell complained on the radio, knowing that race control would hear him, in the hope of triggering an investigation into Verstappen.

It was obvious, Red Bull claimed, that the race would end behind the safety car and that such unpredictable braking to conserve heat in tyres and brakes was therefore unnecessary.

Protests rejected, Russell keeps the win

Both protests were eventually rejected by the stewards after several hours of deliberation. They were of the opinion that Russell's braking action - as Mercedes argued - was not unusual behind the safety car, to keep the temperature in his tyres.

The stewards also accepted the Mercedes claim that the on-board radio was only a factual description of the situation. No penalty was given, and so Russell kept the win.

It was fascinating stuff, providing added drama to a weekend when all eyes were on Verstappen with that potential ban looming.

Maybe there was indeed nothing untoward in Russell's actions in Montreal, and Verstappen's calm persona would back that up. But then why the protests?

It is also telling that Horner would later admit he had spoken to the FIA BEFORE the race, fearing other drivers would try to provoke Verstappen into a penalty.

Russell cannot avoid 'The Orange Army'

So Russell avoided penalty, and avoided demotion. But what he will not avoid is Verstappen's 'Orange Army' about to mass at the Red Bull Ring to lie in wait for the British driver.

This is a home race for both Red Bull Racing and Verstappen, and every year tens of thousands of fans in orange head to the circuit in Spielberg. And there is a big chance that they will not welcome George with cheers.

While Russell and Mercedes are riding the crest of the wave after a double podium in Montreal, this is unlikely to be a pleasant weekend for the 27-year-old from King's Lynn. He will be public enemy number one in this corner of Austria.

We've waited a while for Verstappen - so dominant in recent years - to have another big rivalry after that epic 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton.

We can't be sure just yet that the wait is truly over, but there is at least hope that there may be a feud brewing to wake this sleepy F1 season from its slumbers.

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Written by

Jan Bolscher - Senior Editor en Formule 1-verslaggever

Jan Bolscher (29) is een Nederlandse Formule 1-journalist, geaccrediteerd door zowel de Nederlandse Sport Pers (NSP) als de Formule 1. Hij heeft ruim zeven jaar ervaring in de Formule 1-journalistiek en doet verslag vanuit de Formule 1-paddock, waar hij de coureurs interviewt en een breed netwerk met de teams, de FIA en de Formule 1 heeft opgebouwd. Doordat hij in nauw contact staat met de persmanagers van de Formule 1-teams, de Forrmule 1 en de FIA, weet Jan als eerste rondgaande geruchten te ontkrachten of te bevestigen. Daarnaast draagt hij de titels Senior Editor en Brand Manager Assistent bij GPFans. In deze rollen vormt hij een leidende draad binnen de redactie.

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F1 Max Verstappen George Russell Canadian Grand Prix Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring