F1 News: Max Verstappen's Championship Prospect Receives Huge Blow After Brazilian GP Penalty

Saajan Jogia | Oct 30, 2024

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 24, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. / Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

In what appears to be a huge blow to Max Verstappen's championship prospects this season, the Red Bull driver will take a grid drop penalty for exceeding the number of power units allowed this season, as confirmed by the team's senior advisor Helmut Marko. Verstappen will be on his sixth power unit during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend at Interlagos, while the regulations permit four power units per season.

Though this penalty applies to the Sunday Grand Prix and not the Saturday sprint race, the setback is significant for the three-time world champion, who received two ten-second penalties last weekend during the Mexico City Grand Prix. The penalties caused championship rival Lando Norris to narrow the points gap, with the McLaren driver now trailing Verstappen by a mere 47 points.

The Dutchman faced a challenging start to the Mexico weekend after he reported a loss of engine power in free practice, followed by an unusual sound emanating from the engine. While Red Bull replaced the problematic power unit with an older one to avoid the penalty, this temporary fix proved insufficient to sustain him for the remainder of the 24-race season.

Marko confirmed that the old engine had reached the end of its lifespan and was used on Verstappen's RB20 in Mexico to avoid incurring a penalty, which contributed to a drop in pace on the long straights. Faced with no alternatives, Red Bull has opted to install a new power unit. According to sporting regulations, if Verstappen only replaces the internal combustion engine (ICE), he will face a five-place grid penalty based on his qualifying position.

If Red Bull chooses to replace additional components of the power unit, Verstappen will have to start from the back of the F1 grid. Speaking about the events that unfolded in Mexico and Red Bull's latest challenges even before the start of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, Marko wrote in his Speedweek column:

"The pace was also not right because the engine problem meant that a different engine had to be installed, which had reached the end of its life and was actually no longer planned for racing.

"That was one of the reasons why we were one of the slowest cars on the straights. When a Formula 1 engine has reached a certain number of kilometres, the loss of performance is clearly noticeable. 

"We are currently investigating whether we could use the engine with the leak again. But here too, the number of kilometres means that it is no longer planned to be used. 

"All of this means that we cannot avoid changing the engine in Brazil, with the corresponding penalty."