Will Verstappen take his grid penalty in Belgium to avoid problems at Zandvoort?

Max Verstappen has a grid penalty hanging over his head if he changes engines. The question halfway through the season is not if he will get that grid penalty, but when. With the incident in Hungary behind him, it could well be that Verstappen has no choice but to introduce a new engine in Belgium.

The F1 engine

A Formula One engine in this era is divided into seven parts. The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Engine Generator Unit - Heat (MGU-H), Energy Store (ES), Engine Exhaust system (EX), Turbo Charger (TC), Engine Generator Unit - Kenetic (MGU-K) and Control Electronics (CE). Of the ICE, TC, MGU-K and MGU-H may use three units in a year. Of the ES and CE a maximum of two units are allowed. If you go over the limit, you can be sure that you will be at the back of the grid with the number of grid places you get as a penalty per part.

Max Verstappen is on edge after the Hungarian Grand Prix. At Parc Fermé, new parts were used on him prior to the race, which puts him on edge for every part except the ES (of which he has only used one). So with new engine parts for Verstappen, he runs into a penalty.

It's a shame for the Dutchman, who only introduced his second engine in Austria, that he was involved in another crash in Hungary. The problems in Great Britain have already ensured that Verstappen's new engine did not last long. The damage from those races is not only felt then but also for the long term.

New engine for Verstappen

Verstappen is not going to ride out the rest of the season with just one set of engine parts. This means that Verstappen will probably have to suffer at least two more blows, and will then have to make up the lost ground during the race. With the sideways impact at the start of the GP in Hungary, it remains to be seen whether the engine will be able to cope with the Belgian GP.

Red Bull could not provide any information to GPblog about when a new engine would be deployed. The team will want to choose a tactical moment for this, and they obviously don't want to make the competition any the wiser. If Verstappen's engine can handle the Belgian GP, the question is whether Red Bull wants it to?

Taking penalties in Belgium

If you look at it tactically, the best place for Red Bull to take a penalty is in Belgium. Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit that normally suits Red Bull's car, especially sector two. With Honda's improved powerunit Verstappen should be able to drive back from behind at this track and into the top four, or perhaps even higher.

The most important argument however is the Dutch Grand Prix, which follows a week later. Verstappen and Red Bull will want to shine there for the fans, but they also know that this is a circuit that is perfect for the car. They can and must win there. If Verstappen's engine breaks down after Belgium due to the impact in Hungary, it would be extremely hard to take the penalty at Zandvoort. Overtaking would be a lot more difficult there.

Is Max' engine still in one piece after Hungary?

In that respect already two arguments for putting a new engine in Verstappen's car for the Belgian Grand Prix. Taking an old engine doesn't seem to be an option either as the first spec was downgraded due to reliability issues. Losing power with Spa and Monza ahead doesn't seem to be a good choice.

The conclusion can therefore be drawn that it would be most logical for Red Bull to give Verstappen a new engine at Spa. Should the engine that was fitted to Verstappen's chassis for the Hungarian GP be fully intact, it may not be necessary, but will the team be prepared to take that risk with the Dutch GP just one week away?