Max Verstappen commented on the 50,000 euro fine imposed on Red Bull for violating safety procedures before the US Grand Prix, after a team member returned to the track during the presentation lap and attempted to remove a tape marking Lando Norris’ position on the grid for McLaren.
On Thursday (23rd) before the Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen explained: “There’s a yellow line on the grid spot, you look at it and park your car. Really, it doesn’t matter where you start. But some people have other habits, and I understand that. In Austin, for some reason, the gate took a little longer to close. Whether it was instructed or not in the correct manner to stay out of it… I think the way the stewards explained it is quite clear. Therefore, I think it’s quite understandable that you get fined for it.”
Despite the incident, Red Bull and Verstappen were not hindered in the race. The Dutch driver started from pole position and achieved a comfortable victory, reducing the deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points.
Lando Norris of McLaren also commented on the episode and found the situation amusing. The driver finished in second place after a disputed race, overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and gained ground in the title fight against his teammate Piastri. Norris is now just 14 points behind the Australian, with five stages remaining in the season. “I found it funny that Red Bull tried to remove the tape and ended up getting fined for it.”
The F1MANIA.NET will be following all activities of the Mexican F1 GP and will provide full coverage of the practices, qualification, and race in LIVE and REAL TIME, starting this Friday (24th of October) with the Free Practice 1 at 15:30.
