It was a near-perfect weekend for Red Bull at the United States Grand Prix. Max Verstappen did what he does best, cruising to victory and tightening the title fight. However, while things looked smooth and on track, the team found itself in a bit of trouble behind the scenes because of something that had happened before the race even started.

What Went Down in Austin for Red Bull?

Red Bull has been handed a €50,000 fine after one of its team members was caught breaking pre-race protocol in Austin. Half of that fine will be suspended for the rest of the 2025 season on the condition that the same thing doesn’t happen again.

According to the FIA, a Red Bull crew member re-entered the grid area after the formation lap had already begun. That might sound minor, but it’s a serious safety rule breach, as once the cars are off on their formation lap, no one is supposed to be near the track.

The team member was spotted walking into the gate area near the second grid position, where McLaren’s Lando Norris was lined up. The pit marshals tried to stop him, but he didn’t react in time. Red Bull later explained that the staff member failed to realize the marshals were trying to hold him back, to which the FIA made it clear that such actions are strictly prohibited.

In their statement, the stewards wrote, “the Stewards determine that any person affiliated to a team or other stakeholders should be aware that entering the track or hindering the safety measures to prepare the track for the race after the grid has been cleared is absolutely prohibited.”

❗️ Red Bull’s pre-race US GP breach involved attempted interference with Lando Norris’s grid marker, The Race can reveal.

Full story: https://t.co/k6LGhWCfmNhttps://t.co/k6LGhWCfmN

— The Race (@wearetherace) October 20, 2025

There’s more to this story than just someone wandering into the wrong area, as reports suggest that the Red Bull team member was actually trying to tamper with a small piece of tape McLaren had placed on the pit wall next to Norris’s grid spot. The tape acts as a visual reference point for Norris to help him line up perfectly before the start lights go out.

McLaren’s use of the tape isn’t against any rules, and in fact, it is a clever little trick that helps their drivers find the ideal starting position. However, this wasn’t the first time Red Bull had been spotted interfering with it, as the team had reportedly done something similar a few races earlier.

While messing with the tape itself isn’t technically illegal, the timing of the act was the real issue in Austin, and that’s what landed Red Bull in trouble with the FIA.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies addressed the matter, saying, “It was felt that some time during the grid procedures, one of our guys had not followed the officials’ or some marshal’s instructions…. I think it’s probably a misunderstanding there. 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 an instruction.”

Despite the off-track mishap, Red Bull still had plenty to celebrate as Verstappen took home both the sprint and main race wins and cut his gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points.