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Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that Max Verstappen will suffer an automatic grid penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend after taking a new power unit.
This is Verstappen’s second infringement of the season, with the Dutch driver incurring a ten-place grid penalty at July’s Belgian Grand Prix for going beyond the limit of four power units.
Helmut Marko Confirms Penalty At Brazilian Grand Prix
Following on from Verstappen’s engine issues which plagued him during last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, the driver’s RB20 will have to take a new Honda power unit.
This engine change will be outside the annual allowance, triggering an automatic five place grid penalty, with Marko confirming the outcome in his column for Speedweek.
“Verstappen’s Mexico weekend got off to a bad start on Friday with a leak in the engine’s intake tract,” said Helmut Marko.
“As a result, Max was unable to drive in both the first and second practice sessions.
“The lack of driving time is part of the reason why we were not competitive in the race, especially with the hard tyres.
“We had the fifth-fastest car behind the two Ferraris and the McLaren. On the medium Pirelli we were still halfway there, but with both compounds, the tyre wear was worse than that of our competitors.
“The pace was also not good because, due to the aforementioned engine problem, a different power unit had to be fitted that had reached the end of its cycle and was not actually planned for racing at all.
“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 kilometers, the loss of power is clearly noticeable.
“We are currently investigating whether we could use the engine with the leak again. But here, too, the mileage means that it is no longer intended to be used.
“All this means that we cannot avoid changing the engine in Brazil, with a corresponding penalty.”
What Does This Mean For Verstappen?
For Verstappen, a five-place grid penalty may not be overly detrimental in Brazil, at a track where it is relatively easy to overtake another driver.
With the Brazilian Grand Prix being a Sprint weekend, Verstappen’s penalty will be applied to Sunday’s full-length race, rather than Saturday’s shortened race.
However, after last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen’s lead over Lando Norris was cut to just 47 points, with the Dutch driver finishing in sixth and the British driver in second.
Therefore, Verstappen’s healthy lead over Norris is continuing to diminish with just four races left in the 2024 season.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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