What ‘sources’ are saying about Red Bull’s behaviour towards Lando Norris after COTA tape incident

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Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix for his third win in four races, but it was not without Red Bull landing in hot water with the FIA.

Verstappen dominated at COTA as he led every lap from pole position and claimed his fifth win of 2025. It moves the Dutchman to just 40 points behind Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship with five races to go.

Verstappen knows he has a chance to win the title, having cut down Piastri’s lead by 64 points in the last four races. Red Bull’s resurgence under Laurent Mekies has given the 28-year-old a car that is competitive at every circuit.

It has got McLaren worried about the Milton Keynes outfit’s performance as Piastri could only manage fifth at the United States Grand Prix. The constructors’ champions are also wary of Red Bull’s behaviour towards Lando Norris.

The Brit finished second behind Verstappen after a lengthy battle with Charles Leclerc and sits 26 points ahead of the Dutchman in the standings. At COTA, it was revealed that Red Bull are trying a new tactic to unnerve their rivals.

‘Sources’ say Red Bull’s behaviour towards Lando Norris with tape interference is ‘quite new’

Red Bull were fined 50,000 euros (roughly £43,000) at the United States GP after an employee ‘re-entered the gate well area at Gate 1 in proximity of the second grid position’ as the cars left the grid for the formation lap.

With the second grid slot belonging to Norris, it was later revealed that the Red Bull team member had tried to remove tape from the pit wall that helps the McLaren driver line his car up perfectly on the grid.

It is perfectly legal for McLaren to use tape to help Norris line his car up and for Red Bull to take it down. But the argument of sportsmanship has come up in the wake of the incident, especially given that Red Bull have complained to the FIA about McLaren in the past.

A report from The Race states that this was ‘not the first time that Red Bull has tried to interfere with Norris’s tape’. However, it was the first time they were caught doing it, as one of their team members made an infringement after the formation lap.

F1 ‘sources’ suggest that this behaviour from Red Bull towards Norris and McLaren is ‘quite new’. The Woking outfit are aware of such antics and have thus started making the tape harder to remove from the pit wall, which may explain why their rivals were caught trying to tamper with it.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Red Bull are starting to play mind games as McLaren start to struggle in 2025 title fight

As aforementioned, Red Bull are allowed to remove the tape as McLaren are to use it. But with this fine, the latter will be keeping a closer eye on their rivals, especially as the pressure begins to mount on them to secure the title.

Norris and Piastri collided during the Sprint race, which ultimately hampered them on Sunday as they did not get sufficient data to analyse the track conditions and tyres. Red Bull’s antics with Norris’ tape only add to the mind games.

Norris and Piastri struggled with ride height at COTA as McLaren could not find the right balance with the MCL39. Red Bull have closed the gap with development, with Verstappen now posing a serious threat.

Norris says Verstappen is doing a ‘very good job’ and will want to keep him at bay as he challenges Piastri for the championship. But he cannot afford to get distracted by Red Bull and their attempts to throw him off in the 2025 title fight.