Nico Rosberg thinks Max Verstappen was behind Red Bull's post-race protest against George Russell in Canada

Nico Rosberg believes that Max Verstappen was the driving force behind Red Bull’s protest against George Russell at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix. Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, the 2016 world champion suggested that the Dutchman was being “cheeky” by putting pressure on the Mercedes driver during the safety car period.

The incident occurred when Max Verstappen accused Russell of brake-testing him while trying to get the safety car to speed up. Russell, in turn, believed Verstappen was attempting to overtake him. Following the race, Red Bull lodged a formal protest against Russell’s actions, a protest that was ultimately dismissed by the FIA. The post-race classification was delayed for several hours while the incident was reviewed.

Rosberg asserted that the protest was more likely Max Verstappen’s idea than a directive from Red Bull. He speculated that Verstappen, already under pressure due to the threat of a race ban, may have been angered by Russell’s braking and sought to shift responsibility. Rosberg also noted that Russell may have overreacted on team radio when Verstappen briefly edged ahead. In his view, the protest may have been a retaliatory move by Verstappen, given the tense history between the two drivers.

Speaking about the incident between Max Verstappen and Russell, Rosberg said:

“Under the Safety Car, Max was being cheeky and trying to go right next to George, which you don’t like that as a driver. When you see this guy trying to make himself really big next to you, it feels like he’s trying to add pressure. And so George slammed the brakes [laughs]. He slammed the brakes and made Max overshoot him. So Max actually overtook him. And I’ve never seen someone be so fast on the radio button! So Max overshoots him by a meter, George is instant. He probably had his thumb on the radio button already, so he’s instant on the radio button: ‘Max just overtook me. Max overtook me. You need to check that out.”

He further added:

“I think also the fact that Red Bull then appealed, it wouldn’t surprise me if that was pushed by Max, because Max got angry that George hit the brakes and tried to get him into a penalty situation. So Max was like, ‘I’m not having that.’ Asking his team to appeal to try and get George in trouble, it wouldn’t surprise me. So we’re seeing the cat and mouse games continue.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, on the other hand, disregarded the idea of Max Verstappen spearheading Red Bull's protest against Russell.

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Toto Wolff believes Red Bull's protest against George Russell was not the idea of Max Verstappen

Toto Wolff has dismissed the idea that Max Verstappen was behind Red Bull’s protest against George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix, stating that the Dutchman, as a pure racer, wouldn’t raise an issue over something so trivial. The Mercedes Team Principal and CEO criticized both protests lodged by Red Bull as futile, noting that the accusation against Russell for “unsportsmanlike behaviour” ended up consuming nearly five hours of discussions with the stewards.

Wolff described Red Bull’s actions as “embarrassing” and “far-fetched,” pointing out that the team didn’t follow through with one of their protests and wasted time on the other. He also recalled a similar attempt by Red Bull in Miami, which failed to overturn the race result. In his view, Russell’s win in Canada was fair and deserved, and Red Bull’s efforts to challenge it were unwarranted.

Speaking about Max Verstappen and the Red Bull protest, Wolff said:

“One of them they actually pulled as a protest; they didn't even follow it through because it was nonsense. The second one took us five hours because I don't even know what you refer to as 'unsportsmanlike behavior' or something. What is it all about? Who decides it? Because I'm 100 percent sure it's not Max; he's a racer. He would never go for a protest on such a trivial thing.”

Reacting to the protests at the F1 movie premiere, Wolff said:

“First of all, it took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing. You know, honestly, it's so petty and so small. They've done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous. "They come up with some weirdo sporting code clauses. I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it's so far-fetched it was rejected. You know, you race, and you win and you lose on the track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it's just embarrassing.”

Wolff's soft stance regarding Verstappen comes at a time when the Dutchman is being heavily linked to a potential move to Mercedes for 2026 and beyond. It was also reported that senior Mercedes staff Andrew Shovlin and Ron Meadows missed their flights back to the UK as a result of the time-consuming protest. Wolff felt that it took Red Bull two hours to launch the unwarranted protest after the race.

While Red Bull’s protests at the Canadian Grand Prix failed to overturn the result, Max Verstappen had to settle for second place, missing a potential opportunity to inherit the win. Had the protest been successful, it could have elevated the Dutchman to the top step of the podium.

As it stands, Red Bull remains fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with 162 points. They are locked in a close battle for second place, trailing Ferrari by 21 points and Mercedes by 37. Championship leader McLaren, however, has pulled well ahead with a commanding lead of 212 points. In the Drivers’ Championship, Max Verstappen sits third with 155 points, behind Lando Norris (176) and Oscar Piastri, who leads the standings with 198 points.