F1 fans label the FIA a ‘joke’ after suffering through one aspect of the Canadian Grand Prix

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The Canadian Grand Prix wasn’t the most exciting event of the 2025 Formula 1 season but fans got to witness George Russell secure his first victory of the year.

Mercedes managed to earn their first double-podium of the season with George Russell were joined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the rostrum for the first time.

Max Verstappen praised Russell after finishing directly behind the 27-year-old and cutting the deficit to drivers’ championship leader Oscar Piastri in the process.

However, Piastri and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris produced the biggest talking point of the race when they collided during the closing stages.

Russell gave his verdict on Norris and Piastri’s collision with the British driver taking full responsibility immediately over the team radio.

However, this led to the safety car coming out and a host of investigations for the stewards to undertake.

Russell and Verstappen both accused each other of misdemeanours behind the safety car and Red Bull lodged an official protest against the Mercedes driver’s victory.

What followed was a meeting with the stewards and an extremely long wait for fans to discover who actually won the Canadian Grand Prix.

READ MORE: The most successful drivers at the Formula 1 Canadian GP of all time

F1 fans furious over Canadian Grand Prix decision delay after Red Bull protest

It was confirmed at 2:24 am UK time that Red Bull’s protest had been rejected and Russell would remain the winner of the race in Montreal.

Speaking on X, journalist Chris Medland said: “It’s a long document in terms of outlining the protest that was put in and arguments [on] either side, but a very simple and quick dismissal from the stewards.

“Over 5.5 hours after the race to confirm the result is not a good look for a sport at this level.”

Several drivers were then investigated for separate incidents but Norris was the only driver to be penalised and was handed a five-second penalty for colliding with Piastri.

Plenty of fans reacted to the FIA taking so long to confirm whether Russell deserved a penalty or not, with one person stating: “Nothing the FIA does is usually a good look for the sport.”

Another comment read: “Both the time taken and the content of the rejection are a joke…”

“F1/FIA have become a total farce!” said one fan, and another explained, “Why wasn’t the incident examined by the #FIA at the time? Clearly either Russell was at fault or Verstappen was. Clearly, the #FIA is inept and not fit to govern the sport.”

“After more than 5 hours of waiting, we finally have the final race classification for the Canadian Grand Prix. Great job, @fia – efficiency at its finest,” suggested another fan after the lengthy delay.

One person echoed a complaint Jacques Villeneuve had about the Canadian Grand Prix and said: “Never mind that I thought this sport cared about entertainment…. we can’t end races under the safety car?!”

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Canadian GP moments including Lewis Hamilton’s blunder

Christian Horner praises Mercedes’ ‘good job’ at the Canadian Grand Prix despite George Russell protest

Verstappen in his post-race interview appeared to absolve Russell of any wrongdoing, suggesting that they were both trying to get the safety car to speed up.

However, Red Bull are so far behind in the constructors’ championship and Verstappen’s deficit to Piastri is such that they couldn’t afford not to explore every possibility to earn some more points.

After the race, team principal Christian Horner said: “Mercedes have done a good job here this weekend and it just shows how things can shift around.

“Well done to them and well done to George, we will fight back at the next one.”

It’s hard to imagine Horner being so magnanimous in defeat had the FIA decided to penalise Russell.

However, it’s uncovered another issue with the stewarding at F1 races, particularly with Derek Warwick dropped at the start of the weekend after comments made ahead of the Grand Prix and replaced by Enrique Bernoldi who worked on the race from a remote location.