Red Bull have been hit with a £43,400 fine after being caught at the US Grand Prix attempting a bizarre underhand tactic.
They were rumbled after re-entering the grid during the formation lap prior to the start of the race and trying to take away the tape used by McLaren rival Lando Norris that he uses to help him correctly position his car on the grid.
Some drivers struggle to judge whether their car is adequately located in the grid box given their view is impaired from the cockpit.
So tape is used to help guide Norris on barriers at the side of the start-finish straight.
A member of the Red Bull team attempted to remove that tape and supposedly impair the British driver but that is not what the FIA fine was for.
The stewards report read: ‘A team member re-entered the gate well area at Gate 1 in proximity of the second grid position after the formation lap had commenced and at the moment the pit marshals started to close the gate.
The Red Bull team, pictured above after Max Verstappen’s win at the US Grand Prix, have been fined for a bizarre and sneaky tactic they tried prior to the start of the race
Lando Norris uses tape to help guide him into the right position on the grid at the start
‘According to the report from the pit marshals the team member did not appear to react to their efforts to prevent him from entering the gate well area.’
They added: ‘Hindering the safety measures to prepare the track for the race after the grid has been cleared is absolutely prohibited.’
Half of Red Bull’s fine has been suspended as long as the offence of reentering the grid during the formation lap is not repeated again this season.
A representative of Red Bull is reported to have said they were unaware of the marshals trying to stop them reentering the grid.
Sky Sports report that Red Bull have attempted the practice in the past but not been fined for it.
When questioned about the incident, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies described the situation as a ‘misunderstanding’.
He said: ‘We went to see the video with the FIA. 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 and we did not get any specific instructions.
‘So I think it’s very small things, but nonetheless something we will address in the future.’
Verstappen won the race in Austin, Texas, and he cut the championship deficit to 40 points
Ultimately, the fine will matter little to the constructor on what was a day of triumph and celebration with Max Verstappen winning the race from pole position.
The sensational Dutchman gained 23 points on world championship leader Oscar Piastri to close to within 40 points of the McLaren driver with five rounds remaining.
Norris was slow out of the blocks and was passed by Charles Leclerc but eventually managed to overtake the Ferrari driver to finish in second where he started on the grid.
