Ex-McLaren mechanic reacts to reported Red Bull's 'tape tinkering'

09:44, 22 Oct

Updated: 11:12, 22 Oct

bySamson Ero

Gary Anderson has stated that the reported Red Bull Racing tape incident involving Lando Norris at the United States Grand Prix is an act that has long existed in Formula 1.

“This type of skulduggery has always gone on.”

- Gary Anderson

The former McLaren chief mechanic, in his column on The Race, admitted being surprised by a Red Bull member reportedly aiming to tinker with Norris' before the start after which the team received a hefty fine for reentering the track. He then recounted how it reminded him of an incident with Jos Verstappen during the 1994 German Grand Prix.

“I was very surprised by the revelation that a Red Bull Formula 1 team member attempted to remove a strip of tape on the pit wall as a marker to help McLaren's Lando Norris line up on the grid.

“It struck me as similar to when Benetton had a pitlane fire while refuelling Jos Verstappen’s car at Hockenheim in 1994. That was blamed on a junior employee removing a filter in the refuelling rig, apparently with permission from the manufacturer. This type of skulduggery has always gone on.”

max-verstappen-red-bull-racing-us-gp-cota-f1-jpg

Max Verstappen in Austin - Photo: RacePictures.

During the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, the Red Bull team was handed a post-race sanction after the FIA noted that a member of the team had entered the area of Gate 1 after the formation lap had commenced.

Mekies reacts to Red Bull’s fine

Laurent Mekies reacted to the fine handed to the team following the incident at the United States Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing team principal, who spoke to GPblog, labelled the incident a misunderstanding.

The 48-year-old further stated that the team will review the incident to avoid a repeat.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit was handed a €50,000 fine by the FIA, with €25,000 suspended until the end of the campaign, pending that the team does not commit a repeat of such an act.

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