"Have to find speed"

Verstappen faces the next penalty in Brazil

Max Verstappen(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Max Verstappen picked up two 10-second penalties in Mexico - the next penalty looms in Brazil. Another engine change is on the cards.

In Mexico, the Red Bull team had to use an older engine for Verstappen, "which was no longer intended for the race," explained RB motorsport consultant Helmut Marko in an ORF interview. "The older an engine gets, the more its performance diminishes. [...] On the straights, we were missing three to sometimes eight km/h."

In the end, Verstappen crossed the finish line in sixth place, while Lando Norris in the much faster McLaren was satisfied with second place between the two Ferraris of GP winner Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

Four races and two sprints before the end of the season, Verstappen's lead over Norris is down to 47 points. "We can't afford another race like this. We have to find speed," said Helmut Marko.

Five-place grid penalty in Brazil
Speed should return in Brazil with new parts, or to be more precise, Red Bull is planning another engine change. Following the engine change at the Belgian GP, this would be the second unscheduled change of a power unit this season. However, the planned penalty on the grid would not be too drastic. "The penalty would be five places, which is not so severe in Brazil. You can overtake relatively easily there," said Marko about the impending grid penalty in São Paulo.