Tobias Mühlbauer
Formula 1 & Motorcycle Department
MotoGP and Formula 1, that’s my thing. I turned my passion into my job at MSM and have been there for you ever since when engines roar.MORE
Sergio Perez had already had to go through this in Silverstone, albeit involuntarily. The Mexican was stranded in the gravel in Q1. Since he would have started from far back anyway, Red Bull took the opportunity to give ‘Checo’ a new engine. This made him the first driver in the field to have the fifth combustion engine in the pool. You can always find the current status of all drivers here:
Horner makes it clear: Penalty for Verstappen is inevitable, but when?
But what about world champions Max Verstappen? The Dutchman already has four engines. One was lost during training at the Canadian GP and the car had to be reverted to an old one.
His team boss Christian Horner is therefore certain: “It is inevitable that we will receive a penalty at some point in the year.” But when will that be the case? Horner did not want to reveal his cards on the table: “It is simply a question of when you do it best strategically. We will work on it with Honda.”
Verstappen once drove to Formula 1 victory despite engine penalty
Spa, with its long Kemmel straight, would be a better choice as the last race before the summer break. In 2022, Verstappen took a penalty there and still drove to victory from 14th place on the grid. Back then, however, the Red Bull was completely superior. This year, the world champions are facing much more resistance from Ferrari, McLaren and, most recently, the resurgent Mercedes. No matter where Verstappen takes the penalty, he will have to prepare for a tough weekend.
Not only engines are being changed at Red Bull, but perhaps drivers too. We have analyzed the situation for Red Bull Racing and the Racing Bulls:
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