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Verstappen to start from back in Russia due to PU change
Max Verstappen will start the Russian Grand Prix from the back of the grid as a result of exceeding power unit components.
The Red Bull driver lost a power unit due to damage sustained in the crash at the British Grand Prix, meaning he would need to take a fourth engine at some stage in the season. Already with a three-place grid penalty from Monza, added to the performance of the Mercedes drivers in Russia and with an extremely wet qualifying session predicted that could mix up the grid, the team has opted to make the change this weekend.
Verstappen has taken a brand-new Honda power unit featuring all components, meaning he will have an extra component of the updated Energy Store available for the rest of the season. The punishment is being forced to start from the back of the grid, with Verstappen dropping behind Charles Leclerc -- who has the same power unit penalty -- as Leclerc took his penalty first.
Red Bull has taken the new power unit ahead of FP2, with it likely to be the only dry session left before the race due to a bad weather forecast for Saturday. Heavy rain is expected to fall from Friday night throughout the following day, with a chance qualifying will be pushed back to later on Saturday or even Sunday morning.
Verstappen leads Lewis Hamilton by five points in the drivers’ championship heading to Russia, where Mercedes has never been beaten since the race joined the calendar in 2014.
Presented by:
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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