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Verstappen with new gearbox rest of weekend in Jeddah
Max Verstappen will drive the rest of the weekend in Saudi Arabia with a new gearbox. The Red Bull Racing driver was given a new gearbox by his team before the start of the third free practice session. The FIA just announced that.
It will not result in a grid penalty for the Red Bull driver as they still have plenty of gearboxes in their engine pool. Possibly the change is related to the problems during downshifting, which bothered Verstappen in Bahrain and on Friday in Saudi Arabia. The new gearbox immediately proved its worth: Verstappen set by far the fastest time in the third free practice session and was just two tenths off last year's pole time.
Even though it is only the second race of the year, many changes are already being made to the different cars. Nyck de Vries had to watch the third practice from the sidelines as his team installed a new power unit in his car. Charles Leclerc received a new engine and repairs to the electronics, giving him a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's race. Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris have also received new engines, and Sergio Perez has received modifications to his battery and control electronics. Apart from Leclerc, no one receives a penalty for the modifications.
