Max Verstappen appears likely to face a grid drop at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with Red Bull strongly considering introducing a penalty-incurring new engine for the world championship leader.
Verstappen’s lead over Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ standings was cut to 47 points as the Dutchman finished sixth in Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, four places behind his title rival.
With Verstappen having already incurred a 10-place grid penalty at July’s Belgian Grand Prix for going beyond the limit of four power units to be used throughout the season, he would only receive a five-place penalty this time around for a second infringement.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said that the old engine Verstappen was using – after being forced into a switch following problems in Friday practice – was a factor in his Sunday struggles, and that this weekend’s race in Brazil is the best option of the four remaining rounds to make the change.
“The engine we had in there was no longer intended for the race, and the older an engine gets, the more its performance diminishes,” Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF after Sunday’s race.
“The penalty would be five places. That wouldn’t be so severe in Brazil, for example, where you can overtake relatively easily. But we saw that we were missing three to eight kilometres per hour on the straights.”
Verstappen received two separate 10-second time penalties for twice forcing Norris off the road in a wheel-to-wheel battle on lap 10, but also lacked overall pace at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
He was put on the back foot after missing a significant portion of Friday’s two practice sessions due to recurring power unit issues.
While a fine qualifying lap saw Verstappen salvage second on the grid, the fact he missed on gaining long-run data made it harder for Red Bull to find the right car setup for the race.
Marko added: “More alarming is that we couldn’t make the tyres work – both medium and hard.
“We were nowhere near the two front teams, and I guess part of the problem is that Friday, we couldn’t drive because of the engine problems.
“We have to do something, that’s clear. We also will have a change the engine because we had been so slow on the straight.
“This engine, which was in the car, was not supposed to be in the car, so most likely Brazil could happen.”
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is a Sprint weekend with a shortened race taking place on Saturday, but Verstappen’s penalty would be applied to Sunday’s full-length contest.
Sky Sports F1’s live Sao Paulo GP schedule
Thursday October 31
4pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
Friday November 1
2pm: Sao Paulo GP Practice One (session starts at 2.30pm)
4.30pm: Team Principals’ Press Conference
6pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint Qualifying (qualifying starts at 6.30pm*)
Saturday November 2
1pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint build-up
2pm: Sao Paulo GP Sprint
3.30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
5pm: Sao Paulo Qualifying build-up
6pm: Sao Paulo GP Qualifying
8pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 3
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up
5pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
7pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo GP reaction
8pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1’s Americas triple header concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
