Max Verstappen faces engine penalty after Baku F1 qualifying problems
Max Verstappen says he will likely face an engine penalty before the season is over
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says he will likely need to take a grid penalty before the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season, following issues he battled in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying.
The four-time world champion was expected to battle for pole on Friday afternoon, having topped final practice ahead of qualifying.
But the Dutchman could do no better than eighth after his final run in Q3, with Max Verstappen later complaining of a deployment issue with his power unit.
Verstappen takes new engine for Baku race
Ahead of today’s Baku race, the FIA has confirmed that Verstappen has taken various new power unit components.
Red Bull has fitted a fresh internal combustion engine, new turbocharger, exhaust set and power unit ancillary component.
The ICE, turbocharger and exhaust are the final ones from his pool allocation.
As such, he believes he will “definitely” take a grid penalty later down the line before the season ends.
“Throughout qualifying, already from Q1, I had a problem with the engine, which meant I was losing at least half a second compared to my team-mate,” Verstappen told Dutch media on Friday.
“In Q2 and Q3 it was a complete disaster, so I think we clearly have a problem with the engine.
“In Q1, we immediately saw a problem. Of course, at that point you still think, ‘What could it be? Is the engine too cold or actually too hot?’ All of that is possible, because it is all very sensitive nowadays.
“But later it became clear that we really did have a problem with the ICE. It only got worse and in Q3 that engine was no longer working properly at all.”
Verstappen told Dutch reporters that Red Bull was likely to fit a fresh ICE for today’s grand prix.
However, he added: “There definitely has to be a penalty at some point.”
At the recent Italian Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli served a grid penalty for a fresh power unit, though he came through from 19th to win.
His Mercedes team-mate George Russell will take one later down the line when the outfit introduces its ADUO upgrade.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was expected to take a penalty at Baku, but the Scuderia has deferred this to another race.
