Glimmer of hope for Max Verstappen’s rivals with driver penalised at Spa
Max Verstappen’s rivals have been given a look in the door ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, not because of their own gains but rather a five-place grid penalty that has been handed to the runaway championship leader.
Initially reported in the Dutch media, De Telegraaf’s Erik van Haren claimed Verstappen will be collecting his first grid penalty of this season for changing parts as he moves on to his fifth gearbox.
The FIA duly confirmed that during Friday evening’s qualifying session for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, which Verstappen will line-up for in P6, having blitzed the competition.
Five-place grid penalty awaits Max Verstappen
Red Bull had said ahead of Friday’s running at Spa-Francorchamps that they had elected to fit a fifth gearbox to Verstappen’s car.
Verstappen won’t be too bothered by the penalty as last time out in Hungary he won the race by 34s while earlier this season he lined up P9 in Miami due to car troubles in qualifying, but he still win the grand prix and did so by five seconds ahead of his team-mate and pole-sitter Sergio Perez.
Speaking to AD.nl prior to the Spa weekend, the Dutchman said: “We have a fast car when it is dry and when it rains. It will be wet this weekend, but I am looking forward to it. It’s a great track and it would be great if I could win here again.”
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He also made it crystal clear he doesn’t mind winning races by 30 seconds or more, in fact takes pride in seeing how big a gap Red Bull can create on the track.
“I like solo races,” he said. “It is better for the sport if there is tension, but personally I prefer that the gap with the competition widens. I don’t mind racing, but I’ve done that often enough in my career and I don’t necessarily have to.”
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