F1 Monday Briefing: Red Bull’s pit-wall “tapegate,” Ferrari lines up Fuoco for FP1, and nerves prickle at McLaren
The dust from Austin hasn’t settled so much as shifted. Red Bull walked out of the United States Grand Prix with another Max Verstappen win and a headline-grabbing fine, Ferrari is set to drop a surprise name into FP1 in Mexico, and the title fight has a distinctly twitchy feel as the calendar tightens.
Inside Red Bull’s “tapegate” and that “significant” FIA penalty
Red Bull collected a €50,000 fine in Austin — half of it suspended — for a procedural breach before the start, and now a paddock whisper has turned into a storyline: it’s been claimed a Red Bull team member tried to tamper with a piece of tape McLaren had attached to its pit wall ahead of the race.
The FIA penalty itself wasn’t explicitly issued for any tape-related offense, but the timing of the allegation has done the rounds since Sunday night. Red Bull, meanwhile, left Texas with the scoreboard that matters to them: Verstappen controlling the afternoon to take his third victory in four races at Circuit of the Americas. Make of that juxtaposition what you will.
Ferrari to hand Antonio Fuoco an FP1 run in Mexico — likely in Hamilton’s car
Ferrari says Antonio Fuoco will step in for FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix, which would mark the Italian’s first run on an official F1 weekend more than a decade on from his maiden test with the Scuderia. The team hasn’t publicly confirmed which car he’ll take, but with Charles Leclerc already having fulfilled the rookie-session requirement this season, it points squarely toward Lewis Hamilton sitting out the opening hour at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Fuoco’s day job is Ferrari’s WEC spearhead, so don’t expect lap-time fireworks. Do expect a very busy debrief and a lot of aero rakes.
Ricciardo on Verstappen’s COTA clinic: “Kid’s so good”
Daniel Ricciardo watched Verstappen’s COTA drive and joked the Dutchman was basically calling in his dinner order mid-race — “steak, medium rare” — such was the comfort level. It’s the kind of cheeky line Ricciardo lives on, but the point stands: Verstappen ran the place. He’s stitched wins in Italy, Azerbaijan, and now the United States, and while McLaren still has the points cushion at the top, Verstappen’s recent cadence is the sort that squeezes palms on every orange garage trolley.
Piastri feels the squeeze as McLaren’s margin shrinks
Oscar Piastri still has the number that matters: a 14-point lead over teammate Lando Norris with five to go. But former F1 racer Timo Glock reckons he sees the tells — “insecure,” “nervous” — as the fight ramps up. Harsh? Maybe. Relevant? Definitely. The next stretch rewards composure as much as raw pace, and McLaren’s been living on a knife’s edge of strategy calls and intra-team truce lines since midsummer.
Piastri’s highs this season have been fearsomely clean; the lows, typically brief. What’s new is Verstappen’s form elbowing into the conversation, forcing McLaren to defend on two fronts: the guy across the garage and the one in the car with the charging bull on the nose.
Alpine frustration as Colapinto ignores orders
Further back, Alpine came away from Austin gritting its teeth. Franco Colapinto didn’t obey a late-race instruction regarding track position versus Pierre Gasly, and the team’s managing director Steve Nielsen admitted they were “disappointed” and will review it internally. The Argentines’ afternoon ended with a 17th-place finish, with Gasly 19th; it didn’t change the points column, but it did change the mood.
Colapinto’s 2026 seat isn’t locked, and with executive adviser Flavio Briatore lately talking up Paul Aron as a genuine threat for that spot, the finer details matter. Teams accept heat-of-the-moment judgment calls; they’re less forgiving when a clear call is missed.
What it all means heading to Mexico
– Red Bull’s penalty will be a water-cooler topic for a day or two, but the on-track reality is Verstappen’s now hunting relentlessly. If McLaren can’t punch clean air from Friday onwards in Mexico City, that nervous energy won’t just live in the media pen.
– Ferrari’s FP1 plan is pragmatic and a little romantic. Fuoco’s mileage ticks the rookie box while feeding the WEC-F1 data loop Maranello loves. Hamilton, if he sits out, loses an hour at a high-altitude track that punishes imperfect preparation — though he’s got more than enough muscle memory to cope.
– McLaren has done well to keep a lid on flashpoints between its two title protagonists, but the margin for error is disappearing. Five rounds is both a marathon and a sprint depending on your garage. Right now, the papaya needs a crisp, drama-free weekend.
The calendar moves on, the plot thickens, and the little stories — a strip of tape on a pit wall, a WEC ace rolling down the pit lane for a one-hour cameo, a radio message not obeyed — all feed into the big one. Titles are won on Sundays, sure, but they’re also won in moments like these, when cooler heads and cleaner executions quietly swing the season.
