After the Miami Grand Prix, Red Bull protested against Mercedes driver George Russell, claiming he did not slow down enough during a yellow-flag period. Max Verstappen, who finished fourth just behind Russell, had reported over team radio that Russell might not have followed the rules.

Red Bull hoped that if Russell received a five-second penalty, Verstappen would be promoted to third place. They argued that although Russell lifted the throttle when the yellow flags were shown, he did not reduce his speed enough, which they believed was a breach of FIA rule 26.1 a), which requires drivers to slow down clearly and be prepared to change direction.

Mercedes responded by saying that lifting off the throttle is the standard practice when slowing in a yellow-flag zone and that Russell had done exactly that, more than Verstappen may have observed.

The FIA reviewed the onboard footage and data from Russell’s car and confirmed he lifted the throttle by about 25 percent, which led to a 30 percent drop in engine torque.

The FIA released the following statement:

“The rule requires the driver to have ‘discernibly reduced speed’ in a yellow-flag zone, but does not specify if that means reducing the absolute speed or reducing the speed relative to the regular racing speed in the relevant part of the track.

“The speed of car 63 in the yellow-flag zone was considerably slower than the regular racing speed, but the absolute speed while passing through the yellow-flag zone increased slightly.

“The stewards determine that the requirement of Article 26.1 a) concerning the reduction of speed in a yellow-flag zone can only relate to a reduction relative to the regular racing speed, as the reduction of the absolute speed can, depending on the part of the track in which the yellow flag is displayed, represent a compliance or a non-compliance with the regulations, whereas a reduction of the relative speed always signals that the driver has acknowledged and respected the yellow flag. For instance, in a braking zone, the absolute speed can be reduced without necessarily complying with the regulations.”

Based on this reasoning, the stewards rejected Red Bull’s protest. The team also lost their €2,000 deposit for lodging the complaint.