Max Verstappen will serve a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix after the Red Bull driver opted to take a new internal combustion engine at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
The Dutchman was set on the back foot in the engine department earlier this season when his power unit failed during free practice in Montreal, and Red Bull have decided that this is the right time to take the hit and serve the penalty.
The Spa circuit presents some of the best overtaking opportunities on the F1 calendar and is often a magnet for grid penalties. Verstappen himself won after taking a 10-place penalty here last season, finishing over 22 seconds clear of his team-mate in P2.
Verstappen’s grid penalty has been an open secret throughout the weekend thus far. Asked about the possibility of a new engine in Spa, he replied: “Likely, yeah. But I knew of course that it is coming. It’s not a surprise to me.”
He then added: “We’ll find out on Sunday how good that is going to be, right? Some tracks naturally are a bit better than others. Of course on a street circuit, you wouldn’t want to have an engine penalty. So yeah, most likely it will be here.”
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