In a controversial decision following the 2025 United States Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing has been fined €50,000 (approximately £43,000) by the FIA for breaching grid-procedure regulations, with half of the amount suspended on condition of no repeat offences for the remainder of the season.
The incident occurred during the formation lap ahead of the race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, when a Red Bull team member allegedly re-entered the restricted “gate well” area near the second-grid position – the grid box occupied by Lando Norris of McLaren – after the formation lap had already commenced and despite marshals beginning to close the gates.
According to the stewards’ report, the team member did not appear to react to marshals’ efforts to prevent him entering the area. “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 officials stated.
While the official ruling does not explicitly identify the motive, multiple media sources report that the Red Bull staffer attempted to remove a strip of orange marker tape placed on the pit-wall by McLaren to assist Norris in lining up correctly in his grid box. The tape-marker aide has been used by McLaren to counter the visibility limitations drivers face when aligning their cars on the starting grid.
McLaren, by using the tape, gives Norris a visual reference as he brings his car to the grid. The act of removing it – even though tape-based markers are not directly regulated by the FIA – was judged by the stewards to be unsafe because of the timing and intrusion into a restricted zone.
“Irrespective of whether or not the instructions of the relevant officials have been realised by the person concerned, hindering or delaying the process of closing the gates before the race start must be considered as an unsafe act and therefore a significant penalty to the team is warranted,” the decision document added.
In the immediate aftermath of the fine, Red Bull’s team principal, Laurent Mekies, described the matter as “a misunderstanding.” He said: “We fully respect the stewards. But just to tell you what I know, I think we were summoned because it was felt that some time during the grid procedures one of our guys had not followed the officials’ or some marshal’s instructions. And we spoke with our people.”
“They are very positive they have followed marshal instructions at all times. So I think it’s probably a misunderstanding there. Again, 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 instruction. So I think it’s a very small thing but nonetheless something we’ll address in the future.”
The fine, with €25,000 of it suspended, effectively gives Red Bull a warning: repeat the behaviour and the full sum becomes payable. The stewards emphasised that the objective was to prevent recurrence, not simply punish retrospective behaviour.
For McLaren, the incident will have been particularly galling. Norris had qualified second and held position next to Verstappen at the start of the race, in what was an ideal platform for him and the team. While the tape marker strategy was never officially recognised as a competitive edge, the fact that it prompted rival attention speaks volumes about how teams search for marginal gains in Formula One.
McLaren reportedly even explored using stronger adhesive after previous suspected removal attempts.