Red Bull has been fined €50,000 for failing to follow the instructions of an official.

Seemingly 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 determined 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 realized 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.

For breaching Articles 12.2.1.h and 12.2.1.i of the FIA International Sporting Code Red Bull was fined €50,000, €25,000 of which is suspended for the remainder of the 2025 season on condition that there is no breach of a similar nature.

However, it was subsequently revealed that said team member was allegedly removing a piece of tape stuck on the pit-wall used to aid Lando Norris when positioning his car on the grid. While this was not picked up by the FOM cameras it was spotted on the circuit's own CCTV.

The markers are unofficial and are placed as a guide for the driver when taking his place on the grid as the actual view from the cockpit is somewhat restricted. Indeed, at the Bahrain Grand Prix Norris was handed a 5s penalty after it was deemed that part of the contact patch of his front right tyre was outside the line of the grid box at the time of the start signal.

While officials turn a blind eye in terms of the markers there are no rules in terms of removing them either, though with an eye on what happened in Bahrain, and the intensity of the championship fight one can see why a rival team might be tempted.

It's believed that this is not the first time that Red Bull has dabbled in such practices.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by trackrecords, 20/10/2025 21:41

"Red Bull caught cheating - again - surely not? What a despicable team they are. It isn't Wacky Races, but allegedly the World's premier motor racing championship. So how on earth are the FIA allowing a team to perpetuate such un-sportsmanlike behaviour? How much were McLaren fined when someone photocopied Ferrari documents? What else does Red Bull do to competitors? Cut fuel lines? Slash tyres? I thought there was a 'Sporting Code'? Lewis was persued by the Arab for having jewellery, so why isn't he giving Red Bull Hell? Before Max arrives in his Grid slot and Red Bull put his marker tape down, other teams should spray PTFE fluid all over the track around it. Drench the place. "

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2. Posted by West York, 20/10/2025 15:39

"According to Sky it '... involved a team member attempting to remove tape guiding McLaren driver Lando Norris to his grid position.' and 'Red Bull are understood to have employed the tactic in the past, but have not previously been penalised for such a breach.'"

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