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Laurence Edmondson
MEXICO CITY — Lando Norris has laughed off Red Bull’s attempts to remove tape from the pit wall that he was using as a visual aid to ensure his car was not too far forward in its grid slot.
At the U.S. Grand Prix, the FIA handed Red Bull a €50,000 fine, half of which has been suspended, after one of its mechanics attempted to re-enter the grid once the formationI lap had started to remove the tape.
Norris has been using tape on the pit wall as a back-up to markings on the grid itself to ensure he does not incur a penalty for starting too far forward.
Although Red Bull’s fine was issued for re-entering the gate area of the pit wall against the instruction of marshals — and not for the attempted removal of the tape itself — the story has gathered momentum ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Norris compared the actions of the mechanics to «side quests» in the title fight between the McLaren drivers and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, saying it made no difference to his start in Austin as he only ever uses the tape as a back-up.
«Yeah, good job by them,» Norris said when asked about the actions of Red Bull. «Yeah, because they can [do it under the regulations].
«But it didn’t matter, I didn’t use the tape, so it was extra amusing, because I didn’t need it.
«We just put it there in case. Yeah, so it made it extra funny, because they got a penalty for it and I didn’t even need it. They also tried to remove it and failed, because we made it special, so they couldn’t take it off even.
«So it was just amusing. Little side quests, I guess, for the teams to entertain themselves. But yeah, we were the ones laughing about it, I guess.»
Oscar Piastri in the title fight, adding further tension to the rivalry between the two teams.
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When Verstappen was asked about the mechanic’s actions, he pointed out that the fine was not issued for removing the tape but for being on the grid after he was instructed to leave.
«I guess in Austin it took a bit longer [to leave the grid] for whatever reason and, yeah, the gate closed, but I don’t know if he was instructed or not in the right way to stay out of it.
«I think it’s quite clear, right, how they explained it also to the stewards. So, I think that is quite understandable that you get fined for that.
«And it doesn’t even have anything to do with the tape — you can’t hold up the procedure of closing the gate.»
