Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing no longer have the fastest car on the grid as McLaren have covered serious ground with upgrades this year. In the recently concluded Spanish Grand Prix, Lando Norris had the fastest car on the grid. But finished second due to his own mistakes at the start.
That being said, while Red Bull Racing are confident of a revival in Austria, the stars are not aligning for the defending constructors champions. Max Verstappen, who has been actively suffering from engine problems since the Canadian Grand Prix, now stands on the verge of receiving a massive penalty that could destroy one of his future races in the season.
Max Verstappen Will Likely Need A 5th Internal Combustion Engine
Red Bull Racing star driver and defending world champion Max Verstappen had to face the hard truth of his RB20 no longer being the fastest car at the Barcelona circuit of the Spanish Grand Prix. To those unversed, the Barcelona circuit is believed to be the litmus test for F1 cars. The challenger to conquer Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya would face lesser challenges for the rest of the year. However, while Red Bull won the race, McLaren ended up being the fastest car. Hence, with the speed of the machinery is compromised, Verstappen needs the rest of his car to come together for the rest of the year, which clearly does not seem to be happening.
Max Verstappen faced electrical system failure in Canada, which led to a swap of his fourth-season internal combustion engine. However, the engine sent to Japan for Honda’s specialised inspection is reportedly faulty. As per Autosports, Honda has found various defects in the power unit and is likely to announce a new engine for Verstappen in the near future. Now, FIA’s season limit for engine swaps is four, which Max has already exceeded. Hence, a fifth swap will lead to a 10-place grid penalty. That means, if Max manages to bag pole position on the weekend that he takes the fifth engine unit, and he will start from P10 during the main race. And amidst struggles with overall pace, the penalty could be catastrophic for the three-time world champion. Notably, Max’s drivers’ championship lead to Lando Norris has shrunk to 59 points.
Christian Horner Fears Worst Outcome For Verstappen
Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal and CEO Christian Horner confirmed rumours of probable issues with Max Verstappen’s power unit. He said he is yet to receive the inspection report from Honda. However, the power unit swap seems inevitable. “I think it’s inevitable that he’ll take an extra engine,” Horner said to media in Spain.
Interestingly, both Max Verstappen and Red Bull are struggling to maintain desirable leads in championships. While Max’s lead to Norris is 59 points, Red Bull is 60 points ahead of Ferrari. A couple of bad races would more or less put Max Verstappen in a tricky spot. Hence, the drink-based outfit must pull up their socks and bounce back to retain respective titles.
Stay tuned with Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.