Red Bull gets hefty fine: Mekies sees all to be a 'misunderstanding'

The Austrian team was fined €50,000 by the stewards at the United States Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen was victorious and gained important points on the two McLaren drivers in the standings.

€25,000 of the fine is suspended for the remainder of the season, provided the breach is not repeated.

In their report, the stewards stated after reviewing the evidence: "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.

Mekies discussed the situation before the stewards’ verdict was announced. "We spoke with our people they are very positive that they have followed marshals' instructions at all time," he told GPblog after the race.

He continued: "So 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.

The Frenchman also emphasized that the team “fully respects the stewards.”

With five Grands Prix and two Sprints to go, Verstappen now trails Oscar Piastri by 40 points in the standings.

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