FIA have now released a new Red Bull deterrent after causing ‘irritation’ to F1 rivals in 2025

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Red Bull made a name for themselves in 2025 with their constant protests and complaints about their rivals to the FIA.

The Milton Keynes outfit finished P3 in the championship in 2025, with Max Verstappen scoring all but 30 of the team’s points. He came within two points of winning his fifth consecutive title after Red Bull continued to develop his car, losing to Lando Norris.

It was a season of controversy for the team, with tension between key figures behind the scenes leading to the departure of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. But their actions with the stewards also landed them in hot water with their rivals.

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Red Bull were often at the centre of protests to the FIA, reporting instances of wrongdoing, in their opinion, from other teams. The most notable example was at the Canadian GP, when George Russell was accused of brake-testing Verstappen under the safety car.

Toto Wolff called the protest ’embarrassing’ and something that not even Verstappen would have supported. In the end, no action was taken, as Mercedes proved that Verstappen was braking excessively under the safety car, as well as Russell.

FIA have increased the fee to lodge protests after Red Bull’s constant complaints in 2025

According to a report from Motorsport Italia, the constant protests from Red Bull caused ‘irritation’ among teams. This was mainly because of the ‘uncertainty’ around the end result, which often took hours to decide.

F1 fans were furious with the FIA in Canada after they took five hours to decide that Russell had not committed an offence under a safety car. It was this controversy that sparked the governing body to act for 2026.

Stefano Domenicali and Nikolas Tombazis want ‘to reduce, or ideally eliminate, protests deemed frivolous or lacking solid foundation’. Subsequently, they have implemented a stricter system, increasing the fee to protest.

‘The goal is to make access to the procedure more costly, thus discouraging misuse of the complaints system’ and acting as a deterrent to teams. Teams do budget this into the cost cap, but with stricter fees, they may think twice about protesting a decision.

The changes also ‘include an increase in fees for technical investigations of rival cars’, which covers requests for review. The new fee stands at 20,000 euros (roughly £17,000) per request.

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FIA have been suspicious of Red Bull for some time with their protests

Red Bull’s protests stem back to the start of the season. They had been suspicious of McLaren’s sudden rise to the top and whether they had done it legally.

The Milton Keynes outfit called their rival’s brake ducts into question after they saw excessive cooling in the rear tyres through thermal imaging cameras. Red Bull had also managed to get F1’s flexibility rules changed for the Spanish GP after seeing the Woking outfit’s front wing.

The protests became so excessive that the FIA started growing ‘suspicious’ of Red Bull. They felt that the team were more concerned about their rivals’ cars than they were about their own.

This did not deter them, however, as Red Bull sent a ‘wild’ letter to the FIA about McLaren’s car and their cooling loophole. This led to the FIA changing the wording of the regulations to avoid any ambiguity.