Dirty tricks in Red Bull-McLaren conflict

Formula 1’s championship battle is heating up, and Max Verstappen is now within striking distance of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

After his win in Austin, Verstappen trails Piastri by just 40 points and Norris by 26, with five rounds remaining. But in a sport where every millisecond and millimeter matters, tensions are boiling over—and not always cleanly.

Fined for violating grid access rules

During the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, Red Bull was fined $53,000 (€50,000) by the FIA after a team member attempted to remove a grid positioning marker used by McLaren to guide Lando Norris. The incident occurred just after the formation lap began, when all team personnel are required to vacate the grid. A Red Bull crew member was spotted near Norris’s starting position, allegedly pulling off the duct tape McLaren had placed on the pit wall to help Norris align his car.

The tactic raised eyebrows, especially since Norris had previously been penalized five seconds in Bahrain for incorrect grid placement. With Verstappen eyeing another title and Norris seen as a major threat, Red Bull’s maneuver appeared to be a calculated attempt to disrupt McLaren’s setup.

The FIA’s official ruling didn’t mention the tape removal directly but penalized Red Bull for violating grid access rules. “Any person affiliated with a team must know it is strictly prohibited to enter the track or interfere with race safety procedures once the grid has been cleared,” the stewards stated. Half of the fine was suspended for the rest of the 2025 season, contingent on no repeat offenses.

McLaren, aware of the risks, has reportedly started using stronger tape to prevent future tampering. Red Bull, for its part, called the incident a “misunderstanding.”

Verstappen’s win in Austin, coupled with his Sprint victory, earned him 23 points—a massive gain in his pursuit of the championship. With every race now critical, the battle between Red Bull and McLaren is as much psychological as it is mechanical.

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