Horner Keeps Door Open for Verstappen’s Engine Penalty

Verstappen Faces Uncertainty: Possible Engine Penalty Looms

26/10/2024

Christian Horner remains cautious, as Red Bull awaits Honda’s findings on potential engine issues that could impact Verstappen’s race weekend.

Is Max Verstappen facing a potential grid penalty due to his engine issue yesterday?

According to Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, it appears unlikely, but the Briton didn’t completely dismiss the possibility.

“I don’t think you’re ever fully safe, as we just saw in the last session. But I’m hopeful that it’s just a minor issue.”

“I think this is probably more of a question for our engine partner, whether they feel comfortable reaching the end of the year with the current pool. But we’re always on the edge.”

“We’ll see what Honda discovers and the decision that needs to be made.”

Has he seen enough already to gauge Red Bull’s form in Mexico?

“It’s a different circuit. It’s a different challenge. Obviously, the altitude here means things work a bit differently. We hit a piece of signage that fell from the bridge during the first session, which caused some damage to the floor, but it was repaired quickly. Clearly, we’re lacking data after the first day, especially with the testing we had to conduct for Pirelli with the other car (Perez’s), as Max was hardly able to run in Free Practice 2.”

Last weekend in Austin, Red Bull highlighted that the RB20 had made progress, a point confirmed by Verstappen. How significant was this progress?

“I think it was a positive step, securing pole for the Sprint, winning the Sprint race. We were certainly in contention for pole in the Grand Prix, qualifying on the front row.”

“The area where we fell short was overcompensating for setup changes after the Sprint race, leading into the Grand Prix itself, where we had too much understeer in the car. So, with a Sprint race win and a third-place finish, it was a very positive weekend. And I think the engineers, the design and manufacturing teams, and the supply chain have all worked incredibly hard in the UK, and it’s good to see that performance reflected on the car.”

Horner Keeps Door Open for Verstappen’s Engine Penalty Horner Keeps Door Open for Verstappen’s Engine Penalty

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