The FIA are considering making a major rule change to F1 after teams agreed to review the fees for protests and investigations after Red Bull attempted to strip George Russell of a race win
Mercedes and McLaren’s concerns have been heard(Image: Mark Thompson, Getty Images)
F1 teams have agreed to review the fees for protests and investigations after Mercedes and McLaren were incensed by Red Bull’s complaints.
Zak Brown and Toto Wolff have been outspoken in their desire to overhaul the current protest system, with Wolff particularly irked after an attempt was made to deny George Russell a race win.
Currently, teams must fork out a refundable €2,000 (£1,700) for a protest or right of review, while lodging an appeal costs €6,000 (£5,100), which is returned if the appeal is upheld.
Both Brown and Wolff are advocating for a substantial increase in these fees. Although Red Bull did not formally accuse McLaren of any wrongdoing regarding their 2025 car with the FIA, they were implicated in rumours that Brown’s team might be using underhand methods to cool their tyres, such as injecting them with liquid.
The situation escalated when Red Bull challenged George Russell and Mercedes after Russell’s victory over Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Christian Horner spearheading a protest about Russell’s conduct behind the safety car. The FIA ultimately dismissed this protest.
George Russell was the subject of a protest from Red Bull(Image: Clive Rose, Getty Images)
Wolff, reacting to the decision to protest, expressed his frustration to Sky Sports F1, saying: “First of all, it took team Red Bull Racing two hours before they launched the protest, so that was in their doing.
“You know, honestly, it’s so petty and so small. They’ve done it in Miami. Now they launched two protests. They took one back because it was ridiculous. They come up with some weird clauses, what they call clauses.
“I guess the FIA needs to look at that because it’s so far-fetched it was rejected. You know, you race, you win, and you lose on track. That was a fair victory for us, like so many they had in the past. And it’s just embarrassing.”
The Mercedes team principal subsequently backed Brown’s call for increased protest fees to create higher barriers when lodging complaints.
After the most recent F1 Commission meeting before the Belgian Grand Prix, teams are examining potential changes to the current system.
A report by the FIA stated: “It was agreed that the deposit fees for protests, appeals and right of reviews should be evaluated with a view to those fees being adjusted. The introduction of a fee for investigations was also discussed.”