P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull’s bid to see George Russell handed a penalty to promote Max Verstappen to third was strongly rejected.
The FIA provided a detailed explanation for denying Red Bull’s protest against Mercedes’ George Russell post the Miami Grand Prix, citing the failure to comply with Article 26.1 a) of the FIA sporting regulations regarding reduced speed under yellow flags.
Red Bull’s protest aimed to elevate Verstappen to third place by alleging Russell did not slow down adequately during a yellow-flag period, despite Verstappen’s radio communication suggesting the same.
During the protest hearing, Red Bull claimed Russell did not meet the regulatory requirements of reducing speed, highlighting the ambiguity of the term “discernibly reduced speed” and suggesting it implies a decrease in absolute speed.
However, the stewards reviewed the onboard footage and telemetry data from Russell’s car, determining that he had lifted the throttle by approximately 25%, resulting in a torque reduction of about 30%, thus meeting the criteria of reduced speed under yellow flags.
Ultimately, the stewards clarified that the speed reduction requirement in a yellow-flag zone must be relative to regular racing speed rather than absolute speed, as fluctuations in absolute speed could potentially lead to misinterpretation of compliance with the regulations.
