Max Verstappen has explained the thinking behind him “likely” taking an engine penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman suggesting that Red Bull are unsure of how competitive they will be at Spa-Francorchamps.
After losing a power unit during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, there was a strong likelihood that Verstappen would incur a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his allocated number of engines at an upcoming race.
And when asked ahead of the weekend in Belgium how likely an engine change could be at the venue, the reigning world champion responded: “Likely, yeah. But I knew of course that it is coming. It’s not a surprise to me.”
With the circuit being one where overtaking is possible, Verstappen acknowledged that the track could be a good one to take the penalty.
We’ll find out on Sunday how good that is going to be, right?” the Red Bull driver said. “Some tracks naturally are a bit better than others. Of course on a street circuit, you wouldn’t want to have an engine penalty. So yeah, most likely it will be here.”
Verstappen is no stranger to success at Spa-Francorchamps, having won the last three Belgian Grands Prix. However, at the current stage of the 2024 campaign, the 26-year-old has not claimed victory at the most recent three rounds in Austria, Great Britain and Hungary.
