Mark Thompson/Getty Images for Red Bull
10-place grid penalty confirmed for Verstappen in Belgium
Max Verstappen will take a 10-place grid penalty at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix as a result of a power unit change.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had previously admitted it was inevitable that Verstappen would require an extra power unit at some stage, and the team has now opted to take a fresh internal combustion engine (ICE) at Spa-Francorchamps. The track offers overtaking opportunities and Verstappen has climbed through the field from similar penalties at each of the last two years at the same venue, winning from 14th on the grid in 2022, and sixth last year.
However, the championship leader has not won in three races and will face a tall order to do so again on Sunday, admitting that the current competitive picture makes it unlikely that he can repeat the success of the last two years.
“If you look at our last few races where we haven’t particularly been the fastest, I wouldn’t say that with 10 places extra we have a chance of winning,” Verstappen said.
As it is the first component that Verstappen has exceeded limits for this season, it carries a 10-place grid penalty.
The Dutchman is not the only driver taking a penalty this weekend, with Yuki Tsunoda set to start from the back of the grid after RB took a complete new power unit. As well as the ICE, Tsunoda has a new MGU-H, MGU-K, turbocharger, energy store and control electronics.
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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