Red Bull broke F1's regulated curfew ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. Team personnel are not permitted to be within the confines of a circuit during a mandated period, a regulation that was introduced to ensure staff did not work throughout the night on a car and burn themselves out. A team is allowed two exceptions to the rule throughout a campaign, with Red Bull staff doing so for the first time this year overnight going into the qualifying day at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Max Verstappen struggled for race pace during Friday practice, finishing third quickest behind McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Sergio Perez was again slow overall, finishing a second behind his three-time F1 champion team-mate. A statement from the FIA confirmed the curfew breach. It read: "Last night team personnel of the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, who are associated with the operation of the car, were within the confines of the circuit during the eleven-and-a-half-hour period which commenced at 22:00 on 26 July, fourteen and a half hours before the scheduled start time of P3 and ends three hours before the scheduled start time of P3 at 09:30 on 27 July. "This was the first of the two individual exceptions permitted for the Oracle Red Bull Racing team during the 2024 Formula One Championship season and therefore no action should be taken." Red Bull confirmed the curfew break was for "precautionary measures" as there were "some checks they wanted to carry out".
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