Red Bull boss makes vow over McLaren 'silly games' after grid tape drama

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has suggested his team will dial down its gamesmanship tactics following an incident at the US Grand Prix.

Prior to the start of the race last week, a Red Bull employee attempted to remove a piece of grid tape placed by McLaren to give Lando Norris a reference when lining up in his grid box.

Norris highlighted that it did not mark the first time that Red Bull has done it this year, and as a result, McLaren made the tape more robust in Texas.

The Briton highlighted he found the incident “amusing” as he didn't use the tape for the race start, while Red Bull was fined €50,000 - €25,000 of which was suspended - for entering the grid after the start of the formation lap.

While the interference of the grid tape is not against the F1 rules, Mekies suggested the gamesmanship went too far.

“I think it’s fair to say there have been quite a few silly games played by both teams in the last little while,” Mekies told The Athletic.

“On one side, you can probably say that (such tactics are) part of F1 history, known or less well known. 

“But it’s equally fair to say that we acknowledge that it got out of hand, and we’ll make sure that it doesn’t go too far next time.”

When asked if that meant there would be no more manoeuvres to remove the grid tape, Mekies replied: “I’m sure we’ll keep it under control.”

The situation has received increased attention given Max Verstappen's heightened presence in the battle for the drivers' championship.

The Dutchman now sits just 40 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri and 26 behind Norris in the standings.