F1 News: Red Bull Chief Warns Of Penalty Threat After Max Verstappen Engine Woes

Saajan Jogia | Oct 26, 2024

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen talks to team mates at the starting grid at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez-Imagn Images / Aaron E. Martinez/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

After Max Verstappen reported an unusual noise from his RB20's power unit during FP2 in Mexico, Red Bull has initiated an investigation to identify the source. Team principal Christian Horner hinted that the issue could signal a potential engine failure, which may force Red Bull to fit a new power unit on Verstappen’s car. Such a change would result in a ten-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix, potentially narrowing his championship lead over McLaren's Lando Norris.

The three-time world champion exceeded the allocation of Internal Combustion Engines for the 2024 season, which saw him receive a grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix, leading him to finish the race in fifth place. However, Verstappen seems to have run into an engine problem ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix after he reported that his RB20 wasn't delivering full power in FP1.

During FP2, the issue appeared to escalate as Verstappen reported "a weird noise" from the engine, later adding to his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, "This noise is very disturbing. This can’t be normal.” After heading back into the garage, the Milton Keynes outfit put out a message on X, stating, "Car 1 will not run again in FP2 as we investigate a PU issue further."

With five more races to go before the season ends, the championship fight with Norris could swing in any direction since Verstappen maintains a mere 57-point advantage over the British driver. Addressing the media over the "useless day," Verstappen said:

“It was from the engine side and we’re checking, I don’t know exactly what it is. From my side, a pretty much useless day. Four or five laps, not much to read into at the moment.

“I never had a good run, only four or five laps in total and that’s even with some long runs laps in it. A day to forget.”

Speaking on the possibility of incurring an engine penalty, Verstappen said:

“That will be alright."

However, Horner admitted that nothing can be said at this stage, highlighting the uncertainty that surrounds the situation, although he hopes it is a small issue. He added:

“I don’t think you’re ever safe, as we’ve just seen in the last session.

“But hopefully, that’s just a small issue.

“I think it’s something probably more of a question for our engine partner as to how comfortable they feel getting to the end of the year. But you’re always on the limit.”