McLaren fined €30,000 in Monaco for taping over safety clutch button

[지금은 2026 McLaren has been fined €30,000 at the Monaco Grand Prix after Lando Norris's car stopped during FP2, forcing a red flag when marshals couldn't move the MCL40. The team had taped over the mandatory clutch disengagement system button, making it impossible for marshals to activate it quickly by hand.

Why it matters:

The penalty underscores the FIA's zero-tolerance stance on safety-equipment tampering. For a front-running team, compromising marshal access for aerodynamic tidiness proved costly. Crucially, McLaren faces a steeper immediate fine than Racing Bulls did for a similar breach in Canada, confirming the FIA treats recent precedents as binding warnings to the full grid.

The details:

• Norris halted at the Nouvelle Chicane during FP2, but marshals could not trigger the car's clutch disengagement system, forcing a full red flag instead of a brief virtual safety car interruption.
• McLaren admitted it had taped over the activation button for aerodynamic reasons, and stewards ruled the move "completely defeated" the system's quick-access purpose for officials in protective gloves.
• Sporting director Will Courtenay and technical director Neil Houldey attended the hearing with Norris, where the team conceded that accessing the button required a tool rather than a gloved hand.
• The stewards cited Article C9.3, which mandates that the clutch disengagement system remain functional for at least fifteen minutes even if a car's primary hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical systems have failed.
• Although the total fine matches the €30,000 issued to Racing Bulls in Canada, only €10,000 of McLaren's penalty is suspended for 12 months versus €20,000 suspended for the Italian squad, leaving McLaren with a higher upfront bill.

Between the lines:

This is a calculated escalation. By making a larger portion payable immediately, the FIA is punishing McLaren for ignoring the warning shot fired in Montreal. The message to the paddock is sharp: systems designed to protect marshals during emergencies are not optional inconveniences. Obscuring them for marginal performance gains will draw heavier sanctions, and the governing body expects every team to have gotten that memo by now.