Lando Norris and Max Verstappen laughed off being gifted a ton of fancy Red Bulls after the US Grand Prix ahead of this weekend’s race in Mexico City.
Red Bull was fined 50,000 euros ($58,000) and suspended for the rest of the season for the remainder of the season after a team official entered near the pit wall gate after the start of the formation lap. It later emerged that a team member had attempted to remove a sticker that McLaren had placed on the pit wall to help position Norris’ car before the start of the race, but this did not violate the regulations.
“They did a great job,” Norris said. “Because they could. But it didn’t matter. I didn’t use the tape. So it was extra fun because I didn’t need it. We just put it there just in case. That made it even funnier because they got penalized for it and I didn’t need it.”
“They tried to take it off too, but they failed. They couldn’t even take it off because we made it specifically for them. So it was just funny. I think it was a little side quest for the team to entertain themselves. But I think we were the ones laughing about it.”
“I didn’t use it at all. I just used the lines on the grid. I said I’d use it just in case I went a little to the right or something and couldn’t see the lines. It’s a backup in case I need it.”
“I used it for a little while, but at Monza and some other places, they were already trying to take it down. So we created something like an F1 pass where you can never get out of the (car) window, like that!”
“So it was funny to see them try to take it off and it didn’t go as planned. So I’m going to keep using it. Sometimes it was too far to use, so I didn’t use it at all. But now, in 95 percent of most races, I use the lines on the grid. I think that’s why it was even better.”
Verstappen said he had no problem with drivers having different ways of trying to check their grid spots, but said he also agreed with the central reason for Red Bull’s suspension.
“Look, there’s a yellow line in the grid box. Look at this,” Verstappen said. “So, you just park your car. It doesn’t matter where you start. But some people have other practices, and I understand that.”
“I think for some reason in Austin it took a little longer and the gate closed. I think it’s clear how it was explained to him by the stewards if he was instructed to stay away from the gate. So I think it’s understandable that he would be fined for that.”
“And it has nothing to do with the tape. I can’t stand the procedure of closing the gate.”