McLaren driver saw Russell deliberately trying to get Verstappen penalty points

Neom McLaren Formula E driver joined the Chequered Flag Podcast to break down the moment that had Verstappen fans holding out hope late into the night. Red Bull Racing had immediately lodged a protest—but in the end, it was dismissed.

According to Bird, Russell's action seemed deliberate: “Russell braked on a straight line when Verstappen was right beside him. This happened between turn 12 and turn 13, and Verstappen ended up briefly in front of Russell. If I'm being very cynical, I would say he did this deliberately because according to the rules you cannot overtake behind the safety car.”

Bird continued his analysis of the controversial moment by looking ahead to next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. The 38-year-old suggested that Russell may have braked deliberately, knowing that if Verstappen received another penalty point on his license, it could lead to a suspension for the following race.

The Mercedes driver won this race last year and the absence of Verstappen could have increased his chances of repeating that in 2025: “Verstappen is the king at the Red Bull Ring, but that's the cynical version of me wanting to stir up a bit of fire.”

The aftermath of the race in Montreal was fiery. Red Bull had filed two protests, one of which was withdrawn, as Russell was accused of dangerous behavior. It took over four hours after the race for the FIA to decide to take no further action.

Even after the weekend had ended, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner continued to address the incident. Speaking ahead of the F1 movie premiere, Wolff described Red Bull’s protest as a “pathetic move” by the Austrian team. On the red carpet in New York, Horner stood by his position, stating that they had every right to file the protest and had no regrets about their decision.