Horner on Russell's 'Clear Goal' Against Verstappen At Canadian GP
Jun.17 - Red Bull admits the team suspected George Russell may play games with Max Verstappen during the Canadian GP.
Following Verstappen's highly controversial clash with Russell in Barcelona a fortnight earlier, the pair lined up on the front row in Canada - with the quadruple world champion teetering on the brink of a race ban.
Russell hinted he would have his elbows out more than usual heading into turn 1.
"I mean, I've got a few more points on my license to play with," the Mercedes driver said.
Turn 1 was uneventful for the pair - unlike a subsequent safety car period. At one point, Verstappen's Red Bull surged past Russell behind the safety car, with each accusing the other of a transgression.
After the race, the pair walked to the stewards room together as the FIA considered Red Bull's post-race protest against Russell's safety car period behaviour.
Russian commentator Alexey Popov thinks the protest was justified.
"It's a fact - because he said so after qualifying - that Russell was really determined to set Max up a little. We saw it when he braked so hard behind the safety car," he said.
The stewards interviewed Russell and Verstappen for almost an hour, meaning the official race result was not rubber-stamped until five hours after the chequered flag.
"This kind of delay must change for the future," Bild newspaper insists.
Meanwhile, Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed that the protest was lodged to clarify Russell's safety car period behaviour.
"You could already hear it on Saturday when George was talking to the press," he said. "His goal was quite clear. I think it was inevitable that there would be some games played."
Horner revealed he even raised the matter of potential anti-Verstappen shenanigans with the race director "after the drivers' briefing" - long before the race.
"We wanted them to be aware of it, because it's pretty clear that these kinds of things happen," he said. "We said 'Please pay attention to this, because there have been some comments made in the media'."
When asked if Verstappen urged Red Bull to protest, Horner answered: "Not at all."
The Red Bull protest was ultimately rejected.
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