Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believed that Oscar Piastri’s safety car penalty at the British Grand Prix highlighted a similar incident involving George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix the preceding month.
Piastri was penalized with a 10-second time penalty for braking heavily behind the safety car during the rainy race at Silverstone, which allowed Max Verstappen to briefly pass him before the McLaren driver, Lando Norris, went on to win the race.
The incident was reminiscent of Russell’s situation in Canada, where Red Bull’s protest was rejected, with the stewards determining that Russell’s braking was less severe and within the norm for safety car conditions.
Silverstone stewards deemed Piastri’s braking to be excessive, causing Verstappen to take evasive action and lose ground, resulting in a fifth-place finish for the Red Bull driver.
Despite the setback, Horner praised Verstappen’s performance in challenging circumstances, noting his impressive recovery as the track dried up and his strong showing in qualifying.
While Red Bull’s strategy to go for a lower-downforce setup did not pay off in the rainy conditions, Horner acknowledged the team’s decision was based on the forecast and praised Verstappen for securing pole position in challenging circumstances.
