How Red Bull attempted to ‘sabotage’ Norris’ pre-race routine all season

McLaren was already reeling from a double DNF in the Sprint race after their drivers collided on the first corner, which led to Max Verstappen winning the race. Red Bull then attempted to add insult to injury with skulduggery aimed at Norris by removing tape near his starting box before the Grand Prix in Austin.

What did Red Bull do that was illegal?

According to the BBC, Red Bull was not fined for trying to remove the tape marker. The infringement, instead, was because a mechanic was in an area of the pit lane ruled inaccessible to team members at the time. US GP marshals asked the team member more than once to vacate the area, and the individual ignored their requests not to re-enter the track. A steward’s report indicated “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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Autosport (@autosport)

Why does McLaren use tape?

Norris, like all F1 drivers, sits incredibly low in the car, and visibility is poor due to the halo safety bar and front wheel covers. According to Fox Sports, McLaren received permission from the FIA at the start of the season to use tape to help their drivers line up in the starting box. 

The FIA mandates that all drivers must line up correctly in their grid box before the start. A driver can’t place their car before the white line, as they would gain an advantage. An F1 car also cannot be placed too far back in the grid box, as this would impede the driver behind. The stewards can hand out time penalties if a driver is not parked correctly in the starting box.

What does this mean going into the last five GP?

The temperature between Red Bull and McLaren has definitely increased after Verstappen’s latest win in Austin. Add ‘tape gate’ to the mix and it’s game on between the two teams as the season enters its latter stages. Norris spoke to Sky Sports ahead of this weekend’s Mexico GP and said that he didn’t use the tape to assist him in lining up the car and found the saga ‘amusing’.

The 25-year-old driver also said it’s not the first time Red Bull has attempted to remove the pit wall tape. He pointed to the Italian GP in Monza in September when a representative from the energy drink team tried to scupper his start.

Norris is currently second in the driver’s standings, 14 points behind teammate Oscar Piastri. Verstappen has won three of the last four GP and has become a genuine contender to win his fifth title with five races left in the season.