AUSTIN, Tx — Red Bull has been fined €50,000 ($58,279; £43,419) after a team member tried removing a piece of tape from McLaren driver Lando Norris’s grid slot ahead of Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
Following the race at the Circuit of The Americas, the FIA summoned Red Bull to see the Formula One race stewards for failing to adhere to safety instructions from on-site officials, breaching the International Sporting Code.
The team was hit with the fine after the stewards found a Red Bull team member went back to the grid after the formation lap had started, and “did not appear to react” when the pit marshals tried stopping him from going back onto the track. €25,000 of the fine was suspended for the rest of the season, barring any repeat breaches.
But it has now emerged that the Red Bull team member was returning to the grid to try and remove a piece of tape stuck to the wall on the side of the track next to Norris’s grid slot in second place, which would have been used as a visual aid for the British driver.
Sources with knowledge of the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Athletic that the Red Bull crew member attempted to peel off the piece of tape, but was unable to do so.
McLaren and Red Bull both declined to comment.
The FIA’s report stated that the Red Bull team member “re-entered the gate well area at Gate 1 in proximity of the second grid position after the formation lap had commenced.”
Both McLaren’s use of the tape and the Red Bull team member’s attempt to remove the tape are perfectly legal under F1’s sporting regulations, with the sanction only being a result of entering a prohibited area. All personnel are required to leave the grid after the cars have pulled away to start the formation lap.
Due to the limitations around visibility from the F1 cockpit, some teams have started to add in more visual markers to aid their drivers line up perfectly in their grid position. If a car moves beyond the grid slot when lining up before the lights go out, the driver will receive a time penalty.
Removing any kind of extra assist for Norris would have been beneficial to Red Bull, whose driver, Max Verstappen, started the race from pole position. From second, Norris did have the inside line going into the first corner, but Verstappen was able to stay ahead regardless.
Verstappen leads the field away at the start of Sunday’s Grand Prix (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)
One source added that McLaren had started to use tamper-proof tape in response to previous removals, which meant the Red Bull team member tried to go back to the grid position after the formation lap had started.
Speaking prior to the stewards’ ruling, Red Bull F1 chief Laurent Mekies said he had spoken with his team members and they were “very positive that they have followed marshal instructions at all times, so I think it’s probably a misunderstanding there.”
Mekies added: “We went to see the video with the FIA, and for sure it’s something we can do better in the future. But certainly on our side we do not feel that we have ignored any instructions. We did not get any specific instructions, so I think it’s a very small thing, but nonetheless, something we will address in the future.”