Verstappen handed drive-thru after engine cover rips off

Max Verstappen will be forced to serve a drive-thru penalty in the first three laps of the Italian Grand Prix as punishment for his Toro Rosso's engine cover coming off in spectacular fashion during qualifying.

In the rush to exit the pit lane to start a lap before the chequered flag - having been delayed by technical problems - the engine cover was not fastened properly, causing it to rip off as he entered Ascari and leaving debris strewn across the circuit.

With a focus on ensuring errant debris doesn't cause issues, particularly in the wake of Pirelli tyres failures at Spa-Francorchamps and the death of Justin Wilson in the United States, the ensuing punishment has been levelled as the Dutchman is already serving a grid penalty for an engine change coming into qualifying.

Despite this, Verstappen thanked the Toro Rosso team for its efforts in attempting to get him out again, even though it proved ill-fated.

"I'd like to say thank you for the big effort," he said. "Ok, we all saw that some bodywork came off the car when I was out on track, but you have to understand that they always try their best, they wanted me to get out there and these things sometimes happen when you are on the limit, fighting against time."

With all Renault and Honda-engined drivers - amounting to six in total - all facing penalties for power unit changes, Verstappen is currently set to start a provisional 18th.