Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take 10-place grid penalty at Belgian Grand Prix after exceeding engine allowance

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to Serve 10-Place Grid Penalty at Belgian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen of Red Bull will face a 10-place grid penalty at this Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix due to exceeding his engine allowance.

As anticipated and previously reported, Red Bull has decided to take what they recently described as an “inevitable” penalty for the current world championship leader at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend.

Verstappen’s car was equipped with its fifth internal combustion engine of the season – surpassing the regulation limit without incurring a penalty – before Practice One on Friday. This installation triggers an automatic 10-place grid drop for the race on Sunday, ensuring Verstappen will not start higher than 11th place.

The reigning world champion has been on the brink of a grid penalty since losing a power unit during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in June. Despite not having won any of the last three races, Verstappen leads McLaren’s Lando Norris by 76 points in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship standings. This will mark the third consecutive year he incurs a penalty in Belgium.

Verstappen won the 2022 race starting from 14th place and triumphed again in 2023 after beginning from P6. “It is a particularly stiff test at the moment. He sounded embattled and frustrated on the team radio in the last race at Hungary, as other cars have been able to match the Red Bull’s performance recently,” noted a commentator.

“Two years ago, Max came all the way through the field from outside the top 10, and last year, he took a five-place grid penalty and won from sixth. However, it is a much more challenging prospect for him to win this year.”

The commentator added, “Does he face losing more of his points cushion to Norris at the top of the drivers’ standings? The Red Bull is efficient at high speed on straight-line circuits like Spa, so maybe they believe there is still enough performance to move up through the field.”