Following the F1 US GP, Red Bull Racing have been fined €50,000 due to “failure to follow the instructions of relevant officials.”
After the start of the formation lap, a Red Bull Team member was seen reentering the track. The team was consequently fined €50,000, with €25,000 being suspended for the remainder of the season.
It is believed that the aim of this was to remove a marker placed to aid Lando Norris in positioning his car in the second-place grid box. Lando Norris lined up in P2, behind Max Verstappen in P1. This act in itself is not wrong for either team.
The marker in question was a vertical strip of duct tape attached to the pit wall. With limited visibility, it can be difficult for drivers to position themselves correctly on the grid. The visual aid will help prevent drivers from making mistakes, as they cannot clearly see the grid markings. There are no regulations against teams doing this.
However, there are also no regulations against teams removing these markers. In this sense, the Red Bull team members behaviour was not wrong. This is all a part of the gamesmanship in F1.
The issue is that the team member re-entered the track as marshals were trying to close the gates. It is understood that the team member re-entered the track through Gate 1. By entering despite the marshals’ warnings, Red Bull failed to follow the instructions given to them.
Laurent Mekies’ views
After the race, Laurent Mekies delivered his usual print media session, despite being delayed. In it, he discussed his views on the incident.
“We fully respect the stewards. But just to tell you what I know, I think we were summoned because it was felt that sometime during the grid procedures, one of our guys had not followed the official, some marshal instructions. And we spoke with our people. They are very positive that they have followed marshal’s 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 instructions. So I think it’s a very small thing, but nonetheless something we will address in the future.”
A statement from the stewards
After the decision had been made, the stewards released a statement on the matter. In it, they explained the errors of the Red Bull team member, as well as the reason behind their decision.
“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.
“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.
“The team representative stated during the hearing that the team member informed him that he was not aware of the efforts of the marshals to stop him. However, 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.
“Thus, 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. In order to prevent any reoccurrence, a portion of the financial penalty is suspended.”
