Red Bull fined €50,000 for tampering with Norris grid marker at US Grand Prix

Red Bull was fined €50,000, with half suspended, after a team member attempted to interfere with a strip of tape McLaren placed on the pitwall to assist Lando Norris with his grid positioning at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. The tape serves as a visual aid for Norris to line up his car precisely within his grid box, a critical factor given the challenging cockpit visibility and strict rules on car placement at the start. While using such tape is legal and common practice, Red Bull's interference—attempting to remove the marker after the formation lap had started and ignoring marshals' instructions—was deemed a violation related to safety and race procedure rather than the tape itself. The incident highlights the intense rivalry as Red Bull seeks to disrupt their closest competitors amid a tight championship battle, with Norris having qualified second behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Despite the legality of removing such markers, the act raises questions about sportsmanship and tactics in the fiercely competitive environment. Red Bull has reportedly targeted these markers at previous races, prompting McLaren to reinforce their tape to prevent easy removal.