Red Bull post pokes fun at George Russell as FIA takes action over Canadian GP incident
George Russell and Max Verstappen are known to have an uneasy relationship
Red Bull Racing’s official social media account appeared to poke fun at Mercedes driver George Russell following his angry reaction to his Canadian Grand Prix retirement.
Russell retired after 29 laps in Montreal due to an engine problem, bringing an end to a thrilling battle with Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull post emerges after George Russell headrest throw
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Antonelli went on to claim victory in Canada, becoming the first driver in F1 history to take his first four wins in successive races.
The Italian’s latest triumph means he now holds a commanding 43-point lead over Russell in the drivers’ standings after five rounds.
Russell cut a frustrated figure in the immediate aftermath of his retirement, throwing his headrest on to the track as he climbed out of his stricken W17.
The incident saw Russell hit with a €5,000 fine – suspended for 12 months – for what the FIA stewards described as an ‘unsafe act.’
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Red Bull appeared to poke fun at Russell throwing his headrest on social media in the aftermath of Sunday’s race.
Replying to a screenshot of the incident posted by a fan, the official Red Bull Racing account replied: “Borderline something something.”
The post has been viewed 1.5 million times and gained 48,000 likes at the time of writing.
Red Bull’s post appears to be a reference to the war of words between Russell and Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, in the closing weeks of the 2024 season.
Verstappen was left angry at the penultimate race of that season in Qatar after being hit with a grid penalty for impeding Russell in qualifying.
The Red Bull driver later accused Russell of exaggerating the significance of the incident in order to land his rival a penalty.
Ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi a week later, Russell was heavily critical of Verstappen and accused him of turning to “borderline violence” when matters go against him.
Russell said at the time: “As soon as something doesn’t go his way, he lashes out with unnecessary anger and borderline violence.”
Following the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, the FIA stewards revealed that Russell had apologised for throwing his headrest following his retirement.
The stewards’ report read: “The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 63, the team representative and reviewed video evidence.
“The driver explained that he was extremely frustrated having failed to finish the race, and expressed his embarrassment as [sic] what subsequently followed.
“He apologised to the Stewards for his action and acknowledged that it did not set a good example and offered to apologise publically [sic].
“The Stewards acknowledged this and accepted his apology.”
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