Red Bull’s Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen will face a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race in Brazil, providing a significant advantage for McLaren rival Lando Norris.
FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer announced on Friday that the Dutch driver will be using his sixth internal combustion engine for the race at Interlagos, marking his second violation of the season. The regulations allow for only four engines per campaign, and Verstappen previously incurred a 10-place penalty for using a fifth engine at the Belgian Grand Prix in July. According to the rules, the first breach results in a 10-place drop, with subsequent violations resulting in five-place penalties.
Verstappen currently leads Norris by 47 points with four rounds remaining, including two Saturday sprints, and a maximum of 120 points still up for grabs. The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo is known for its relatively easy overtaking opportunities, making it the most favorable location to incur a grid penalty among the remaining races.
Additionally, Verstappen’s struggling Mexican teammate Sergio Perez will undergo a chassis change as he attempts to reverse his current poor performance. “We’ve changed him back into a different chassis,” Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan explained to http://www.the-race.com. “He asked if we can: yeah, fine, OK. The boys got a bit of work but they didn’t mind so there we go.”
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
