F1 Hands 10-Grid Penalty to Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen Ahead of Belgian GP

Dutch reigning Formula One world champion Max Verstappen was handed a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday after making an engine change.

Red Bull fitted a fifth internal combustion engine to Verstappen’s car, in addition to the four permitted per season. This change will earn him a penalty on the starting grid of the GP, as per the rules in force.

“Red Bull’s Verstappen has moved onto a fifth internal combustion engine (ICE),” an official statement read.

“As per F1’s regulations, should a driver use more power unit elements than the number permitted, a grid place penalty will be imposed upon them at the first event where each additional element is used.

“Verstappen is set for a 10-place grid penalty.”

Red Bull made the move after three races without a win.

The sanction came as no surprise for Verstappen, who said to the press on Thursday that it was likely he would face punishment.

“Some tracks naturally are a bit better than others (to incur this penalty). Of course, on a street circuit, you wouldn’t want to have an engine penalty. So, yeah, most likely it will be here,” the 26-year-old said Thursday.

It wasn’t just Verstappen but also RB’s Yuki Tsunoda who was hit with grid penalties for the Belgian Grand Prix with both drivers taking on new power units ahead of the weekend, and Tsunoda now slated to begin at the rear of the pack at Spa due to his penalty.

Verstappen is looking for a fourth-consecutive win at Belgium’s famous Spa race course on Sunday.

However, he has tempered his expectations for this year.

“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. But, again, a race can always be turned upside down with moments,” said Verstappen.

In the overall championship standings, Verstappen has a 76-point lead over his closest challenger, Lando Norris of McLaren.

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