McLaren asked the FIA at the start of the season if they could use tape to mark their grid positions in this way.

Drivers are penalised if they do not correctly position their cars on the grid. Putting tape on the wall by the track is intended to help them do this, as visibility out of cars is limited and drivers cannot easily see the lines on the track marking their grid box.

A stewards’ report said that a Red Bull representative at the hearing called to investigate the matter said that the team member in question had “informed him that he was not aware of the efforts of the marshals to stop him”.

The report added: “However, the stewards determine that any person affiliated to a team or other stakeholders should be aware that entering the track or hindering the safety measures to prepare the track for the race after the grid has been cleared is absolutely prohibited.

“Thus, irrespective of whether or not the instructions of the relevant officials have been realised by the person concerned, hindering or delaying the process of closing the gates before the race start must be considered as an unsafe act and therefore a significant penalty to the team is warranted.”

McLaren and Red Bull declined to comment.

Before the reason for the incident came to light and before the stewards had issued their verdict, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said he believed the incident was “a misunderstanding”.

He added: “We went to see the video with the FIA. Sure, it’s something we can do better in the future, but certainly on our side we do not feel that we have ignored any instructions and we did not get any specific instructions.

“So I think it’s very small things, but nonetheless something we will address in the future.”