F1: Red Bull chief Laurent Mekies says no more ‘silly games’ after fine

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has decreed an end to the ‘silly games’ that led to his team being fined heavily at last weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix after trying to remove a McLaren marker tape.

“There are some silly games being played for a few races between the teams,” the Frenchman told Sky Sports television at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

“It probably got out of hand but moving forward it will be more in control,” he added.

A Red Bull mechanic tried to remove tape McLaren had stuck to the track side of the pit wall in Austin, but was found in breach of grid safety rules for being on track after the deadline to leave.

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That triggered a 50,000 euro ($58,310) fine with half suspended.

McLaren’s Lando Norris said he found the episode amusing, particularly since he had not needed to use the tape anyway as a guide to placing his car at the start.

“We just put it there in case. It made it extra funny because they got a penalty for it and I didn’t even need it,” he told reporters.

Red Bull’s reigning champion, Max Verstappen, was on pole for the race in Texas, which he went on to win, with Norris qualifying and finishing second.

Published on Oct 25, 2025