Ahead of the race in Austin, a Red Bull employee reportedly reached over the pit wall in an attempt to remove the marker tape. In the FIA stewards’ report, it was noted that the crew member “did not appear to react to their efforts to prevent him from entering the gate well area.”

Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies conceded that his team went too far in its costly attempt to disrupt Lando Norris’ grid start in Austin.

Verstappen has five GPs, and two sprints, to get the job done. A couple of races ago, the Dutchman stressed that he can take it a weekend at a time, and has nothing to lose. With the gap closing and victory becoming more realistic,