Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc face penalty which could cause them to…
MAX VERSTAPPEN and Charles Leclerc could start from the back of the grid in Belgium.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc may open the door for Mercedes to get their first win of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend with reports suggesting both drivers will take penalties and start from the back of the grid.
Dutch outlet Telegraaf suggests that Verstappen will ‘face punishment’ and use a new engine, his fourth of the season, which takes him beyond the permitted limit. Verstappen’s newest engine is just one race old as it was introduced after qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, making the decision a surprise.
But Red Bull feel it would be tactical to add a fourth engine to their armoury for the rest of the season at Spa-Francorchamps. It is also claimed that Verstappen will take a new gearbox.
Various reports suggest Ferrari star Leclerc will start at the back of the grid as his team have reliability concerns, despite having four weeks to get over their current woes.
Luigi Fraboni, head of power unit operations and electronics at Ferrari, warned: “Spa-Francorchamps is very tough on the power unit in terms of reliability. It’s the longest track on the calendar and usually, the distances covered over the course of the weekend are among the highest.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc face penalty which could cause them to…
“There are very long straights that stress all the components and therefore require a specific assessment on the test bench. In terms of performance, along with Monza, this is the track where engine power has the greatest effect on lap time and energy management also has a major impact on the final result, especially in qualifying.”
Verstappen has an 80-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship and any fears of a penalty will be softened by his main title challenger Leclerc also starting from the back. However, the 24-year-old is not taking his position for granted.
“I think it would be wrong to relax,” Verstappen said. “So many things can still go wrong, or can go right. I think that the intention for us is that we want to win more races this season. That’s how we approach the remaining races. Not only winning but we want to be consistent, we don’t want to retire. We had our little issues in the beginning but we’ll see how competitive we will be.
