In the lead-up to the Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen hinted at a new power unit.
Now it’s confirmed: Verstappen will have a new internal combustion engine for the race at Spa-Francorchamps. This fifth engine exceeds the allowed limit of four, resulting in an automatic grid penalty. So, he’ll start ten places back on Sunday. Interestingly, he faced similar penalties in previous editions of this Grand Prix but still managed to win.
Verstappen does not assume victory after grid penalty
This year, Verstappen is less optimistic about winning with the penalty. “If you look at our last few races, in those we were not exactly the fastest. So I wouldn’t say that with ten-place penalties, we have a chance of winning,” he said on Thursday.
Journalists speculated about what would be a good result for him under these circumstances. When asked if finishing eighth would be positive, Verstappen replied, “I’m hoping for a bit more, but we’ll see. I don’t know, hard to predict at the moment.”
Fans might think it’s tough luck but also exciting to see how he handles it.
Verstappen’s only replacing his combustion engine this time around; hence he won’t start from the very back. On the other hand, Yuki Tsunoda is swapping out multiple components like his turbocharger and energy store and will face more severe penalties.
What do you think? Will Verstappen surprise us again?
