Wolff dismisses Red Bull protest as petty and embarrassing
Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has dismissed Red Bull's failed protest of George Russell's Canadian Grand Prix win as petty and embarrassing.
Stewards threw out the protest some five and a half hours after the chequered flag came down on the race in Montreal on Sunday.
The team had accused Russell of unsportsmanlike behaviour, suggesting he had tried deliberately to get second placed Max Verstappen into trouble while the safety car was deployed, knowing the champion was at risk of a ban.
"It took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. Honestly, it's so petty and so small," Wolff told Sky Sports television at the New York premiere of the Brad Pitt movie "F1" on Monday night.
"They've done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous.
"They (Red Bull) come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it's so far-fetched it was rejected," added the Austrian.
"You know, you race, you win and you lose on track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it's just embarrassing."
Russell and four times world champion Verstappen have a long-standing rivalry and Red Bull have protested twice in the space of five races against the Mercedes driver.
In Miami in May they protested the Briton's third place, arguing the driver had failed to slow when yellow flags were waved during a virtual safety car period. Verstappen was fourth that time. That protest was also rejected.
The win in Canada was Mercedes' first in 10 races so far this season.
Wolff, who has also had plenty of past run-ins with Horner, wondered who was behind the Red Bull protests but cleared Verstappen of any guilt.
"I don't even know what you refer to as 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' or something. What is it all about? Who decides it? Because I'm 100 per cent sure it's not Max, he's a racer. He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing," he said.
Horner said Red Bull had no regrets about the protest and were simply exercising their rights because they saw something they did not think was correct.
The next race is in Austria at Red Bull's home circuit on June 29.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wolff dismisses Red Bull protest as petty and embarrassing
Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has dismissed Red Bull's failed protest of George Russell's Canadian Grand Prix win as petty and embarrassing. Stewards threw out the protest some five and a half hours after the chequered flag came down on the race in Montreal on Sunday. The team had accused Russell of unsportsmanlike behaviour, suggesting he had tried deliberately to get second placed Max Verstappen into trouble while the safety car was deployed, knowing the champion was at risk of a ban. "It took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. Honestly, it's so petty and so small," Wolff told Sky Sports television at the New York premiere of the Brad Pitt movie "F1" on Monday night. "They've done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous. "They (Red Bull) come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it's so far-fetched it was rejected," added the Austrian. "You know, you race, you win and you lose on track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it's just embarrassing." Russell and four times world champion Verstappen have a long-standing rivalry and Red Bull have protested twice in the space of five races against the Mercedes driver. In Miami in May they protested the Briton's third place, arguing the driver had failed to slow when yellow flags were waved during a virtual safety car period. Verstappen was fourth that time. That protest was also rejected. The win in Canada was Mercedes' first in 10 races so far this season. Wolff, who has also had plenty of past run-ins with Horner, wondered who was behind the Red Bull protests but cleared Verstappen of any guilt. "I don't even know what you refer to as 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' or something. What is it all about? Who decides it? Because I'm 100% sure it's not Max, he's a racer. He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing," he said. Horner said Red Bull had no regrets about the protest and were simply exercising their rights because they saw something they did not think was correct. The next race is in Austria at Red Bull's home circuit on June 29. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Wolff dismisses Red Bull protest as petty and embarrassing
Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has dismissed Red Bull's failed protest of George Russell's Canadian Grand Prix win as petty and embarrassing. Stewards threw out the protest some five and a half hours after the chequered flag came down on the race in Montreal on Sunday. The team had accused Russell of unsportsmanlike behaviour, suggesting he had tried deliberately to get second placed Max Verstappen into trouble while the safety car was deployed, knowing the champion was at risk of a ban. "It took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. Honestly, it's so petty and so small," Wolff told Sky Sports television at the New York premiere of the Brad Pitt movie "F1" on Monday night. "They've done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous. "They (Red Bull) come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it's so far-fetched it was rejected," added the Austrian. "You know, you race, you win and you lose on track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it's just embarrassing." Russell and four times world champion Verstappen have a long-standing rivalry and Red Bull have protested twice in the space of five races against the Mercedes driver. In Miami in May they protested the Briton's third place, arguing the driver had failed to slow when yellow flags were waved during a virtual safety car period. Verstappen was fourth that time. That protest was also rejected. The win in Canada was Mercedes' first in 10 races so far this season. Wolff, who has also had plenty of past run-ins with Horner, wondered who was behind the Red Bull protests but cleared Verstappen of any guilt. "I don't even know what you refer to as 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' or something. What is it all about? Who decides it? Because I'm 100 per cent sure it's not Max, he's a racer. He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing," he said. Horner said Red Bull had no regrets about the protest and were simply exercising their rights because they saw something they did not think was correct. The next race is in Austria at Red Bull's home circuit on June 29.
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Alcaraz and Raducanu to team up in revamped US Open mixed doubles
Nine of the world's top-10 men and nine of the top-10 women have officially entered into the U.S. Open's revamped mixed doubles event, tournament organisers said on Tuesday, with former singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu teaming up. The competition, which will take place a week before the singles main draw during its "Fan Week", will award $1 million in prize money to the winning team. Sixteen teams have entered and the entry window closes on July 28, after which the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking will be in the draw via direct acceptance, with eight more wildcard entries. "In our initial discussions about reimagining and elevating the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship, we wanted to find a way to showcase the world's best men and women competing with and against one another," USTA CEO Lew Sherr said. "We were confident that we would be able to get the top players in the game excited about this unique opportunity. Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited. "It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it." Other pairs include twice U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka teaming up with Nick Kyrgios, as well as Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The matches will be best of three sets, with short sets to four games, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games. Although a number of big names such as Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka have entered, the format came in for criticism from renowned doubles players. Reigning champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori said the new format was a "profound injustice" that disrespects doubles players, describing the new event as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show". The U.S. Open had said the changes were made following the success of the "Mixed Madness" exhibition event held ahead of last year's tournament, which paired up a number of high-profile singles players into teams. "Making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations," Italians Errani and Vavassori had said. The pair have entered the competition this year. MIXED DOUBLES ENTRY LIST Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios Qinwen Zheng and Jack Draper Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
