Max Verstappen admits to F1 grid drop ‘potential’ ahead of US GP

Max Verstappen says he will “potentially” have to take a grid penalty in the coming F1 races.

Red Bull’s Verstappen has not yet taken a grid penalty in 2026 for going over his allocation of power unit components.

The Dutchman is currently using his last available units of internal combustion engine (fourth), turbocharger (fourth), MGU-K (third), energy store (third), control electronics (third), and exhaust (fourth), while he still has one more power unit ancillary components unit to use before incurring a grid penalty.

Being on the limit with six of the seven power unit elements with six races still to go, including this week’s US GP in Austin and the two Middle East races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi that remain set to finish the season, means Verstappen is in prime territory for picking up a grid drop before the end of the season.

“That we have to take a penalty at one point, yeah, potentially,” Max Verstappen said on Thursday ahead of the US GP when asked about possible grid penalties coming his way before the end of the season, as reported by RacingNews365.

“But there's no known date to that at the moment. So, we just see what happens.”

In 2026, drivers will receive a 10-place grid drop for the first instance of exceeding the allocation of one component, with five places incurred for each subsequent addition to their pool. If 16 places or more are accumulated through power unit penalties in one weekend the driver will be then be handed a back-of-the-grid penalty, as Andrea Kimi Antonelli received in Monza, for example.

Arriving at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend, Verstappen has won the last two F1 races, in Sepang and Singapore, and is not currently set to take any new power unit components at 18th round of the 2026 season. 

Given his recent form and Red Bull’s recent upturn in pace, the four-time F1 champion could therefore be on course for three successive wins for the first time since the end of last season when he won Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi to end the year, this despite a 2026 season that saw him on the podium only once in the first seven races.

Since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, though, Verstappen has been off the podium only twice: at Silverstone, where he retired late and was classified 20th; and at Zandvoort where he crashed out early on in damp conditions.