AUSTIN, TEXAS – A Red Bull Racing mechanic is at the center of controversy following the United States Grand Prix, with German motorsport analyst Kai schmidt labeling the team’s actions as “unsportsmanlike” and ”really very sad.” The incident, occurring on the formation lap, involved a mechanic interfering with a marker used by McLaren to aid Lando Norris’s positioning in his starting box.
Schmidt, speaking on Formula Schmidt, detailed how the mechanic removed a piece of tape McLaren had placed on the pit wall – a measure implemented after Norris received a time penalty in Bahrain earlier this year for incorrectly positioning his car. In Bahrain, Norris was penalized, preventing him from overtaking George Russell. Verstappen,positioned behind Norris at the time,observed the incident.
“He pulled a piece of tape off the pit wall, that McLaren had stuck there to help Lando Norris find the starting box,” Schmidt explained. “Since then, McLaren has been trying to help Norris with this a little… This is really laughable. it’s poor if a team needs this and has to put a piece of tape on the pit wall.”
Red Bull was afterward fined 25,000 euros, with a further 25,000 euros suspended, by the FIA. Schmidt, writing for Car Motor and Sport, believes the penalty should have been more severe, stating, “It’s not sporty.” He further suggested the tactic indicates a troubling trend within the team.
“It was quite unsportsmanlike. If you have to use these kinds of tactics, things get really bad,” Schmidt said, speculating that the mechanic acted independently. He also questioned whether the incident reflects lingering practices from the era of former team principal Christian Horner, noting that current sporting director Laurent Mekies “is actually very sporty.”
