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Red Bull's Max Verstappen handed five-point grid penalty for Belgian GP; here's why
The penalty was imposed after Red Bull placed a fifth gearbox, one more than allowed number under regulations, to Verstappen’s car
Red Bull racer Max Verstappen’s quest to win eight races on the trot suffered a jolt today. The Formula One championship leader has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix scheduled to take place this weekend. The penalty was imposed after Red Bull decided to place a fifth gearbox in Verstappen’s car, one more than the allowed number under the rules.
The punishment means that the Dutch driver will start Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix five spots lower than his qualified position. Despite all its ramifications, the penalty will have no bearing on Saturday’s sprint format.
Max Verstappen will head into the Belgian Grand Prix having won nine of this year's 11 races. Despite the setback, Verstappen can take heart from the fact that he won the Belgian Grand Prix last year even after starting from 14th on the grid.
During his last outing at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen succeeded in registering the biggest winning margin of the current season. The 25-year-old achieved this feat having finished the race 33 seconds ahead of McLaren racer Lando Norris. The triumph also marked Red Bull’s historic 12th victory in a row. The 12-race unbeaten streak, which includes last season’s final race, was enough to break McLaren’s previous record of 11 wins in a row set in 1988 and recorded by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
A victory this weekend will help Red Bull in earning their 12th win of the season and with it they will become the first side in the history of Formula One to achieve this incredible feat in a single campaign.
With predictions of heavy rain across all three days of the Belgian Grand Prix 2023, Formula One racers have raised their concerns about their safety. Verstappen, however, seemed to be quite unfazed by the extreme weather conditions. “The weather looks quite interesting with a lot of rain around. From our side we know that the car is quick and hopefully we can find a good compromise between possible rain or dry on Sunday,” Verstappen was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
In the Formula One drivers’ standings, Max Verstappen currently has a healthy 110-point lead over second-placed Sergio Perez. With 452 points to their name, the 2023 constructor standings is also dominated by Red Bull. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, having claimed 139 points so far this season, is placed in third position in the drivers’ standings.
