Toto Wolff lifts lid on FIA ‘fine’ plans after ’embarrassing’ Red Bull protest

Toto Wolff has revealed the FIA is working on a plan to introduce a “fine” for teams if their protests are rejected by the stewards.

Last month, George Russell’s Canadian Grand Prix was under threat for several hours after Red Bull protested, with Russell having claimed the win ahead of Max Verstappen.

A ‘a little bit of an embarrassment’ on the cards for protesting teams?

Running first and second behind the Safety Car, which was deployed when Lando Norris rear-ended Oscar Piastri, race leader Russell hit the brakes hard, and Verstappen, caught unaware, sailed past him.

Russell jumped on the team radio to state that Verstappen had overtaken him behind the Safety Car, with the reigning World Champion quickly onto Red Bull to defend his actions.

Red Bull protested Russell for ‘allegedly driving erratically under Safety Car and displaying unsportsmanlike behaviour by complaining that Car 1 had overtaken under Safety Car conditions’.

They also protested the Briton for not adhering to the rule of keeping within 10 car lengths of the Safety Car.

The FIA stewards rejected the protests, and Russell’s victory was confirmed six hours after the chequered flag. The FIA added that as the protest was not founded, Red Bull forfeited the protest deposit of €2,000.

Russell, who called the protest a “waste of time”, revealed Andrew Shovlin and Ron Meadows, who represent Mercedes in discussions with the race stewards during hearings, missed their flights home.

It has opened the debate as to whether the FIA should increase the fee to avoid frivolous protests.

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This was put to Wolff at the Austrian Grand Prix, the Mercedes team boss saying: “Well, I think it’s absolutely legitimate to protest.

“We are fighting for race wins and championships. And if you have the opinion that what you’ve seen is not right, then you should protest.

“But some of these actions are just really not real. You know, protesting something that you call unsportsmanlike behaviour, a long shot, or you’re protesting a car not leaving ten car lengths between himself and the Safety Car – well, he still needs to respect the delta.

“So, there are things that, from my perspective, are legit to protest and others that are just a little bit of a too long shot.

“And then you’re waiting two hours until you actually protest because you need to figure out on what to base it. You take one protest back suddenly, and then we’re all there five hours. Everybody misses planes going home, and we end up with a result that was a little bit predictable.

“That’s something that I thought was not necessary.”

“Coming back to your question on higher fines,” he continued, “no one is a fan of higher fines. It’s a lot of money, and in Formula 1, we need to be careful that we are still being perceived as not over the top in relation to the normal world.

“But in that instance, absolutely put in a fine, and I think the President of the FIA is working on that.

“Put in a fine that, at least if you lose it, is a little bit of an embarrassment that you lost so much money, and you’re going to think twice whether you do it. I think this is along the lines the FIA are thinking.”

Former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley also weighed in on the subject, as he reckons it is a good conversation for Formula 1 to have.

“I think I’m just looking at the situation,” said the new Sauber team principal. “I’m not looking at the teams involved.

“I know that teams agonise over protests, but it’s so important that teams have a right to do that. I think if you take away that right or make it too prohibitive, you’ll end up with more problems.

“I like the transparency. I like the conversation that’s going on around it at the moment. I know people are talking about the amount of the fine and the amount of the protest fee and what have you. But in Formula 1, that would have to be quite significant. I think it’s a healthy conversation going on about it at the moment.”

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