Horner raised Russell concerns with FIA before Canadian GP

Red Bull says the team had advance concerns that George Russell might try to provoke Max Verstappen during the Canadian Grand Prix - and even warned the FIA before the race. The warning followed their controversial clash in Barcelona two weeks earlier and came as Verstappen lined up alongside Russell on the front row in Montreal.

With Verstappen close to a race ban due to penalty points, tensions were already high. Russell had added fuel to the fire before lights out. "

I mean, I've got a few more points on my license to play with," the Mercedes driver quipped, hinting at aggressive intent for Turn 1.

Although the opening corner was clean, a later incident under the safety car reignited the drama - with Verstappen overtaking Russell briefly behind the safety car.

Both drivers accused each other of wrongdoing, prompting a formal protest by Red Bull. Russian commentator Alexey Popov sided with Red Bull’s perspective.

"It's a fact - because he said so after qualifying - that Russell was really determined to set Max up a little. We saw it when he braked so hard behind the safety car."

The stewards summoned both drivers for a lengthy post-race review that delayed the official results for five hours.

"This kind of delay must change for the future," Bild newspaper insisted. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed the protest was not about retaliation, but clarity.

"You could already hear it on Saturday when George was talking to the press," he said.

"His goal was quite clear. I think it was inevitable that there would be some games played."

Horner said Red Bull even raised the issue proactively with the FIA. "

We wanted them to be aware of it, because it's pretty clear that these kinds of things happen.

"We said 'Please pay attention to this, because there have been some comments made in the media'." He added that this warning was delivered "after the drivers' briefing" - long before Sunday.

Asked whether Verstappen himself requested the protest, Horner replied: "Not at all." Ultimately, the FIA rejected Red Bull’s protest and no penalties were issued.