Lando Norris has been handed a boost in his pursuit of a first Formula 1 world title, with Max Verstappen to be given a grid drop at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Red Bull head Helmut Marko confirmed that his star driver and championship leader will undergo an engine change for the upcoming race in Sao Paulo.
After a weekend from hell in Mexico, it’s more bad news for VerstappenGetty
The swap was highly speculated, given that the Dutchman already had to revert to an older power unit at the Mexico Grand Prix last time out after a failure in Friday practice.
Verstappen, who finished sixth in Sunday’s race, was hugely down on pace and further hampered by two ten second penalties due to driving Norris off the track on lap one.
Confirming the engine change in his Speedweek column, Marko said: “The pace was also not right because the engine problem meant that a different engine had to be installed, which had reached the end of its life and was actually no longer planned for racing.
“That was one of the reasons why we were one of the slowest cars on the straights. When a Formula 1 engine has reached a certain number of kilometres, the loss of performance is clearly noticeable.
“We are currently investigating whether we could use the engine with the leak again. But here too, the number of kilometres means that it is no longer planned to be used.
“All of this means that we cannot avoid changing the engine in Brazil, with the corresponding penalty.”
Penalties range from a five-place grid drop for a component change, to being sent to the back of the grid in 20th for a complete power unit overhaul.
Brazil, which is the 20th of 24 races this season, is seen as the best place to absorb a grid drop, with the legendary circuit prime for overtaking.
Marko added: “That wouldn’t be so bad because it’s relatively easy to overtake. This relegation is less serious than an old engine. But the main problem in Mexico was that we didn’t get the tires into the right temperature window.”
In 2021 during a title battle with Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton famously staged a combined 24 overtakes during Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s feature race with the power of a fresh Mercedes on display for all to see.
Norris is looking to catch Verstappen and claim his first F1 world title
The 2024 event will also be a sprint weekend, but Verstappen’s penalty will not apply for Saturday’s shortened race.
However, any news is good news for Norris, who gained ten points on Verstappen last time out as the title rivals tangled again on track, but the stewards came down hard on the Red Bull driver for what Norris called ‘dangerous’ driving.
The pair are now separated by 47 points with two of the final four races sprint weekends, meaning both drivers will be vying for a maximum of 116 points.
