P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull reached out to the FIA amid concerns about Max Verstappen’s F1 ban threat.
Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull, has disclosed that they had discussions with the FIA prior to the Canadian Grand Prix regarding worries about Max Verstappen potentially being targeted by his Formula 1 rivals. Verstappen is currently on the brink of a race ban, with just one penalty point away from a suspension following an incident with George Russell in Spain. Although Verstappen managed to navigate through the Canadian Grand Prix weekend unscathed, he still needs to successfully navigate the Austrian Grand Prix before his penalty points expire at the end of June. Red Bull took proactive measures by reaching out to FIA race director Rui Marques to safeguard Verstappen from any form of “gamesmanship” considering his delicate penalty points situation. The team raised concerns after noticing potential gamesmanship and asked the race director to monitor the situation closely due to comments made in the media. Red Bull’s protests against Russell’s driving tactics post-Safety Car were dismissed, despite their belief that Russell’s actions were aimed at getting Verstappen penalized. Verstappen now trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 43 points but has narrowed the gap to Lando Norris to just 21 points.
