Verstappen faces possible grid penalty after Mexican GP clash

More clarity on potential Verstappen grid penalty ahead of Brazilian GP.

Red Bull Racing is not currently planning to change Max Verstappen’s engine for this weekend’s race at Interlagos.

That is the team’s position as of today, according to information obtained by GPblog.

But plans could still shift in the coming days, meaning a grid penalty for the four-time world champion cannot yet be ruled out.

Verstappen has not taken a grid penalty all season for exceeding his allocation of power unit components.

He is now at the limit for most of them.

The Dutchman has used four internal combustion engines, four turbochargers, three MGU-Ks, three batteries, three control electronics units and four exhausts.

All of those components have reached the permitted seasonal allowance.

Only the PU-ANC (ancillary control unit) remains within its permitted limit.

Any additional use of a component beyond the allocation triggers a grid penalty under FIA rules.

Red Bull can still fit previously run components without incurring a penalty.

That gives the team some flexibility, but it does not solve the underlying problem of limited fresh hardware for the remaining races.

The team seriously considered taking a new power unit ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held in Malaysia this season.

That change would have meant starting from the back of the grid.

But it would also have provided extra components for the closing rounds of the championship.

Verstappen’s strong pace on Friday at Sepang made the penalty less appealing.

Red Bull postponed the change.

Verstappen then took pole position and won the race.

There was no engine change at the following race weekends either.

Verstappen won in Singapore and Mexico and finished third in Austin.

That run of form — three wins in four Grands Prix — has kept Red Bull competitive without needing to take the penalty.

But the question has never gone away.

Verstappen himself acknowledged it months ago.

After qualifying in Baku, he said he expected to receive a grid penalty later in the season.

He had experienced engine problems there, though Red Bull could use previously run components for a potential change.

“Yes, there will definitely have to be another penalty at some point,” the four-time world champion confirmed at the time.

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Verstappen was asked again whether he still had a grid penalty to serve.

He did not rule it out, but could not say when it might come.

“Yes, possibly. But at the moment, there are no concrete dates, so we’ll see how things go,” he said.

Now, with the Brazilian Grand Prix just around the corner, the timing is becoming more urgent.

Interlagos is the fourth-to-last race of the season.

Any penalty taken here would cost grid positions at a circuit where overtaking is possible but not easy.

The weather forecast adds another layer of uncertainty.

Verstappen has a strong record in wet or mixed conditions at Interlagos.

He won the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2019, 2023 and 2024.

“Interlagos is a magnificent circuit for great racing,” he said recently.

“Every now and then there are some crazy races, partly because of the unpredictable weather. I’ve been able to pull off some brilliant comebacks here, precisely because of the weather.”

But even Verstappen admits the team has issues to solve.

“The starts have been consistent all year — consistently bad, that is,” he said in Mexico.

“I was surprised myself that we then had two standing starts at the Mexican Grand Prix that went well.”

Team principal Laurent Mekies has said that fixing the start problems requires changes to both software and hardware, and that will not be fully resolved until 2027.

In Mexico, Verstappen also complained over the radio about the engine braking on his Red Bull Powertrains/Ford power unit.

He described the problem as random.

“It happens randomly, as if the engine wanted to decide for itself what it’s doing,” the 74-time Grand Prix winner commented.

“Perhaps I should have a word with it before a race! Maybe then it’ll behave a bit better.”

That engine behavior is part of why the team is cautious about pushing the current components too hard.

Red Bull can still rotate previously used parts without penalty.

But each race puts more miles on hardware that is already at its limit.

If the team decides to introduce a fresh power unit, Verstappen would start from the back of the grid.