Brazil GP engine penalty looms for Verstappen amid doubt

Max Verstappen remains uncertain about a possible grid penalty for a power unit change ahead of the Brazil GP.

Max Verstappen stated today in São Paulo, ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, that he was uncertain if he would indeed incur a grid penalty for a power unit change during this weekend’s race.

However, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, recently confirmed that Red Bull will need to replace Verstappen’s Honda internal combustion engine, resulting in a five-place grid penalty for the championship leader. This penalty could increase if further components are changed.

“I haven’t heard anything about it yet,” Verstappen said when asked if he regretted the potential engine penalty.

“It hasn’t been discussed with me; perhaps later today or tomorrow. But I know I’ll have to take one at some point, so we’ll see if that’s here.”

Is he perhaps waiting to gauge the competitiveness of his RB20 this weekend before giving Red Bull the go-ahead?

“Yes, maybe. Although with it being a Sprint weekend, decisions need to be made quickly with limited information.”

Verstappen isn’t expecting an easy run against McLaren and Ferrari, in any case.

“It’s been like that for most of the season. It’s a bit hard to explain why. I think it’s entirely up to us, but we’ll see—we’ll try to be as competitive as possible, and each track is a bit different. Here, too, there’s new tarmac, so once again, there are a few question marks.”

“In general, we’re probably lacking a bit of pace, but it could have been much better. Unfortunately, we haven’t really grasped that over the longer runs lately.”

“It’s always painful, especially when there’s a close battle with certain teams, and you’re a bit on the defensive. You really have to maximise everything you can, and we haven’t been able to do that recently.”

Is the Dutchman feeling somewhat isolated given Sergio Perez’s struggles of late? Verstappen, however, refrains from criticising his teammate openly.

“Since China, it’s been quite difficult for both of us. The other teams have caught up; they’ve made very good performance improvements. And even for me, it’s been challenging to stay on the podium regularly. So I think that as long as we improve our car, it will naturally help Checo as well, which is what we’re working on.”