Red Bull's protest rejected, results confirmed

      After reviewing Red Bull Racing's protest against car #63 (George Russell), the stewards of the Miami Grand Prix dismissed it as unfounded. The results of the race are still valid.

      Procedure

      In its protest, Red Bull claimed that car #63 (George Russell) had failed to comply with the rules regarding the single yellow flag described in Article 26.1a of the Formula 1 Sports Regulations by failing to slow down in the area of the single yellow flag. The representatives of the party were summoned and heard. The protest was deemed acceptable.

      Red Bull's claims

      Red Bull stated that although the driver of car #63 lifted his foot off the accelerator when the yellow flag was shown, he did not slow down and therefore did not comply with the requirements of article 26.1a.

      In their opinion, a "noticeable decrease in speed", as required by the rules, means passing through the yellow flag zone at an absolute speed that is lower than the speed before entering the yellow flag zone. They stated that this was done by the pilot of car #1, who was moving directly behind car #63.

      Mercedes' arguments in its defense

      Mercedes argued that it was and still is a common practice, recognized by all teams and the FIA, to significantly raise your foot on the accelerator pedal, which was done. The pilot of car #63 stated that he saw a single yellow flag and a stationary car next to the highway, so he significantly reduced his pressure on the gas pedal. The team claimed that the gas pedal lift of car #63 was more significant than that observed in other cars.

      Conclusions of the stewards

      From the on-board video recordings, as well as from the telemetry, it is obvious that the pilot of car #63 lifted his foot off the accelerator when passing the yellow flag zone by about 25%, which led to a decrease in torque by about 30%.

      Article 26.1a requires the rider to "noticeably reduce speed" in the yellow flag area, but it is not specified whether this means a decrease in absolute or relative speed on this section of the track.

      The speed of car #63 in the yellow flag area was significantly lower than the usual racing speed in this area, but the absolute speed increased slightly.

      The stewards determined that the requirement of article 26. a regarding speed reduction in the yellow flag area can only refer to a decrease in relative speed, since a decrease in absolute speed may, depending on the section of track on which the yellow flag is displayed, indicate compliance or non-compliance with the rules.

      while a decrease in relative speed always signals that the rider sees and respects the yellow flag.

      Decision

      The protest is rejected as unfounded. The deposit for filing a protest is non-refundable. Participants have the right to file an appeal within the prescribed period.