Max Versteppen could have 5 locations to make up throughout Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s Crimson Bull Racing staff wanted to switch the inner combustion engine in his automobile forward of the race weekend. The staff has already surpassed the variety of ICEs utilized in a season and using the additional ICE is a five-spot penalty this weekend because it’s the second ICE penalty Verstappen has taken this season. He first exceeded the utmost at Spa, the place he took a 10-place grid penalty. Each successive penalty is 5 locations.
The penalty is critical due to Verstappen’s lead within the driver’s championship. After he completed sixth in Mexico per week in the past, Verstappen’s hole to Lando Norris is 47 factors with 4 Grand Prix races and two dash races to go. Norris completed second to Carlos Sainz in Mexico Metropolis.
Verstappen remains to be a heavy favourite to win the title; if Norris received every of the remaining six occasions and scored the quickest lap in all 4 Grand Prix races whereas Verstappen ran second to him, he’d solely acquire 34 factors on Verstappen.
The ICE change grew to become inevitable over the course of the Mexico race weekend as Verstappen’s automobile was significantly slower on the straightaways than different opponents. He completed sixth due to two 10-second penalties for driving Norris off the observe, however wouldn’t have been in competition for the race win had he not been penalized.
Interlagos is a superb place for an engine change, nevertheless. The observe is favorable for overtaking, because of its lengthy entrance straightaway into Flip 1 and the mix of corners early within the lap. Lewis Hamilton famously drove to fifth from final within the dash race in 2021 after which drove from tenth to first within the Grand Prix to beat Verstappen for the win.
