More clarity on potential Verstappen grid penalty ahead of Brazilian GP

GPblog understands that Red Bull is currently not planning to change Verstappen's engine for this weekend's race at Interlagos. However, plans could still change in the coming days, so a grid penalty for Verstappen cannot yet be ruled out. He has not yet received a grid penalty this season for exceeding his allocation of power unit components. However, he is at the limit for most of them.

GPblog previously reported that Red Bull had seriously considered giving Verstappen a new power unit ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. A change would have meant starting from the back of the grid, but would also have provided extra components for the remaining races.

His pace on Friday made it less appealing for Red Bull to take a penalty that weekend. The team postponed the change, after which Verstappen took pole position at Sepang and won the race. There was no engine change at the subsequent race weekends either. Verstappen won in Singapore and Mexico and finished third in Austin.

After qualifying in Baku, Verstappen said he expected to receive a grid penalty later in the season. He had experienced engine problems there, but Red Bull could use previously run components for a potential change. “Yes, there will definitely have to be another penalty at some point,” the four-time world champion confirmed at the time.

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked again whether he still had a grid penalty to serve. He did not rule out the possibility, but could not say when it might come. “Yes, possibly. But at the moment, there are no concrete dates, so we’ll see how things go,” he said.

At that point, Verstappen had used four internal combustion engines, four turbochargers, three MGU-Ks, three batteries, three control electronics units and four exhausts. He had reached the permitted limit for all of those components. Only the PU-ANC was still within its permitted allowance.

Red Bull can still use previously run components without incurring a penalty. Returning to another component from the existing pool is different from adding a new component beyond the limit. An engine change is currently not planned for Brazil, but Red Bull could still decide otherwise in the coming days.