A former engineer has warned the FIA that they will need to do more than fine teams if they want to remove the “skullduggery” that took place before the US Grand Prix on Sunday.

Red Bull were fined €50,000 after it was revealed that a team member had gone back onto the grid as the formation lap had started to remove a reference marker for Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen’s team were found to have a staff member entered the gate well area of Gate 1 after the formation lap had commenced, and so were fined for their actions.

However, a former McLaren engineer, Gary Anderson, has revealed that there needs to be done to stop these antics. He revealed: “This type of skullduggery has always gone on.

Gary Anderson has claimed the FIA needs to do more to stop the antics that took place at the US Grand Prix

| RREUTERS

“It’s actually very difficult to really know who is really up to what. There are lots of examples that need attention like partly blocking on track, leaving the pitlane slower than you need to, pulling out in front of another driver in the pitlane, ranting on the radio about another driver in the hope of convincing officials to penalise them, and not driving to a safe place to pull up when you have a problem.

“All of these things could be argued to be against the spirit of the regulations, even if they aren’t done to the degree that in reality are dangerous.”

Anderson went on to say that fines are not the way to stop teams from doing such things: “The big question is how do you stop it? Well one thing that won’t stop it is fining a team €50,000 because with the budgets they have that kind of money won’t stop you doing anything, especially for Red Bull.

“Points are the only currency that matters, so if it’s a team problem take away constructors’ championship points and if it’s the driver take away drivers’ championship points.

A Red Bull team member tried to tamper with tape used as a reference for Lando Norris on the grid

| REUTERS

“That would get everybody’s attention. With any problems there are solutions. You just have to react as each one rears its ugly head.

“But what you can be certain of is that with teams full of competitive people desperate to win, there will be those who search for every possible advantage no matter how small.

“The Red Bull ‘tape’ incident is just another example of what’s been going for as long as motor racing has existed,” he said in his column for The Race.

The US Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen make major inroads into Oscar Piastri’s championship as the Australian was only able to come home in fifth, while the Dutchman continued his championship fight back as he took home another win.

Max Verstappen dominated the US Grand Prix to close the gap to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

 | 

REUTERS

Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen will continue their championship duel as they take to the streets of Mexico this weekend, on a track that Verstappen has a very good record around.

It will remain to be seen if the reigning champion can close the gap even more on the Papaya pair.