Red Bull leaves nothing to chance
The phrase “leave nothing on the table” at Red Bull extends even to areas one would not expect. The situation came to light with the FIA announcement that fined Red Bull 50,000 euros for failing to comply with race officials’ instructions prior to the start of the United States Grand Prix, with 25,000 euros conditional on a repeat of the same behavior.
McLaren tries to assist Norris
Essentially, McLaren tried to help Lando Norris correctly position his car on the grid by applying vertical masking tape to the pit wall, serving as a reference that Norris could align with the yellow auxiliary line on the asphalt. The idea was to give Norris a precise visual guide for starting position before the lights went out.
Red Bull intervenes
Red Bull, determined to remove any advantage for Lando Norris before the start, sent a team member to remove the tape. However, in Texas the operation proved more complicated than anticipated. The team member had to enter “Gate 1” after it had already been closed, as the tape was positioned extremely close to it. Despite the challenge, the operation succeeded.
On-board video shows Norris searching in vain
Footage from Lando Norris’ on-board camera shows him scanning the pit wall for the tape during the formation lap, unable to find it as the start lights approach. This small but remarkable detail highlights how in Formula 1, nothing is left to chance, whether by McLaren or Red Bull. As George Russell recently remarked, “Races are decided in Turn 1,” since tire compounds often limit the ability to make significant differences later in the race.
here is lando’s onboard from the start of the race. he uses the yellow line to position himself in the grid box and then looks to the side to make any corrections if needed pic.twitter.com/nxCpVk5YP7
— marta (@marthlaren) October 20, 2025
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