Toro Rosso: Verstappen will be penalized ten places on the grid
Bad news for Max Verstappen and Toro Rosso: a 10-place grid penalty has been handed to the Dutchman for installing a 6th internal combustion engine this season.
Max Verstappen will have a tough challenge on Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix: after a change of internal combustion engine (ICE), the young Dutchman will face a ten-place grid penalty. This is his 6th engine this season, one more than allowed under current regulations.
Phil Charles, chief engineer at Toro Rosso, is relying on strategy to catch up during the race: « We need to know well how the tires work and rely on an ideal strategy, especially for Max, due to his grid penalty for an engine change. It’s really unfortunate, as it’s his home Grand Prix; however, that’s racing, and we can’t wait to take on this challenge. »
The driver of the small Scuderia will not start last, as the McLaren-Honda drivers have accumulated 55 penalty places between them. Max Verstappen, who is coming off an impressive 4th place in Hungary, can rely on a generally good pace (he finished 7th and 13th in the two sessions this Friday) to climb up the field.
