Max Verstappen set for big grid penalty at Belgian Grand Prix – report

Max Verstappen could be set for a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, a report has claimed.

The three-time World Champion is one power unit down from his pool after engine issues befell him at the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this season, with team principal Christian Horner admitting the team would “inevitably” take a penalty for him at a later date this season.

Max Verstappen reportedly set for Belgian GP grid penalty with new power unit

A report from RacingNews365 has claimed the Red Bull driver could be set to take a new power unit at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, beyond his allocation for the season, prompting a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race – with early forecasts suggesting it could be a wet weekend at Spa.

He has already used his full allocation of allowed components for the season at least once, but issues for one engine from the pool in free practice in Montréal meant he took a fresh power unit earlier than anticipated.

As a result, Horner admitted the team would have to take another engine for the three-time World Champion at one stage this season, and they would decide upon an appropriate point among themselves.

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“I’m sure at some point we’ll end up taking an extra engine for Max, it’s just a question of when you choose strategically to do that,” Horner recently explained to media including PlanetF1.com.

“So we’ll work with Honda on that, but inevitably, we will take a penalty at some point.”

RacingNews365 claim that weekend will be at Spa, believing he will be fitted with a new internal combustion engine [ICE], with plenty of opportunities to overtake and Verstappen having flown through the field there to victory in the past two years – winning the race from 14th on the grid in 2022 and 6th last year.

Such a move, if it were to occur, would also follow a recent trend for Verstappen and Red Bull, with the Dutch driver having won from those places on the grid after having taken engine-related penalties at Spa for each of the last two seasons.

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