‘Take this sucker’ - Nico Rosberg defends George Russell 'brake test'

George Russell was responding to Max Verstappen being “cheeky” when he braked under the Safety Car at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix, according to Nico Rosberg.

Sunday’s 70-lap race in Montreal finished under a Safety Car after a late collision between McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri left debris strewn across the main straight.

As the field cruised behind the Safety Car, Verstappen complained that Russell had ‘brake-tested’ him. Red Bull lodged a protest against the Mercedes driver accusing him of erratic driving but it was rejected by the stewards.

But 2016 F1 world champion Rosberg felt Russell was entitled to respond to Verstappen’s own actions.

“When you're [behind] a safety car and you see Max Verstappen being cheeky and trying to make you nervous by making himself really big right next to you in that mirror, in the exact spot where the mirror is facing, you don't like that,” Rosberg told Sky F1.

“It really annoys you as a driver, like deeply, deeply annoys you. From there, it’s quite natural to say: ‘You know what? Take this you sucker.’

“So yes, he did want to hit the brakes and give one back to Max there.”

Wolff slams Red Bull’s ‘petty and embarrassing’ protest

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff slammed Red Bull for their protest of the race result, describing it as “petty” and “embarrassing”.

"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," Wolff told Sky Sports ahead of the F1 Movie premiere in New York City.

"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 farfetched 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."