Verstappen, Ferrari Duo and Perez Hit With Major Grid Penalties in Brazil
Both Ferrari drivers will take 10-place grid penalties at Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix for new internal combustion engines, The Race reported on Saturday during final practice at Interlagos.
Engine Changes Prompt Grid Drops for Ferrari Pair
News of Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty emerged earlier on Saturday, though it initially appeared Ferrari might wait until Las Vegas before Charles Leclerc took his new internal combustion engine. Confirmation arrived during third practice that both drivers would take a fifth internal combustion engine of the year, triggering the automatic 10-place drops. The Ferrari drivers held showdown talks with boss Fred Vasseur on Thursday after friction over a lap-one overtake in Mexico, though Vasseur and Leclerc stated the matter was settled.
Verdant Grid Penalties Hit Multiple Champions
Max Verstappen will join the grid penalties after taking a new internal combustion engine, exhaust, turbocharger, and power unit ancillary component, resulting in a 30-place penalty that forces him to the back of the grid. Speedcafe reported that Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged the challenge ahead of the four-time world champion. “We will have to take an engine penalty with Max. He will start from the back – a position he knows very well here after the last two years,” Mekies said on Sky Sports F1.
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez also faces a 30-place penalty after receiving a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger, and MGU-K supplied by Ferrari. George Russell rounds out the penalized drivers with a five-place drop after Mercedes fitted a sixth internal combustion engine to his car. Russell explained that Mercedes identified Interlagos as a strategic circuit to serve the penalty, drawing encouragement from Hamilton’s recovery drive at the venue in 2021.
Rain fell as Saturday’s final practice got underway, with wet weather forecast across the weekend to potentially impact qualifying and Sunday’s race. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has already secured the championship, but Ferrari remains actively engaged in the chase for the constructors’ championship while trailing the Silver Arrows.
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