Max Verstappen suffered one of his worst results of 2024 last weekend, crossing the line in 5th place. Whilst Verstappen maintains a healthy lead in the Championship, the Hungarian GP was evidence of Red Bull’s recent decline. To make this worse, the Dutchman will likely start this weekend’s race in Belgium from further down the grid.
Penalty incoming for Max Verstappen
Aside from the RB20’s struggles for performance, another issue is emerging at Red Bull – reliability.
After essentially being bullet-proof from a reliability standpoint last season, Red Bull has had a few problems in 2024.
The most recent failure was in Canada when Verstappen’s energy recovery system failed in Free Practice.
Earlier in the season, a rear brake problem forced him to retire in Australia. Since then, other engine-related issues have become a source of frustration.
Verstappen is already on his final set of allocated power unit components for the season.
The introduction of any new engine parts from now until the final race will result in engine penalties.
Much like last season, when Red Bull took a new engine at the Belgian GP, the Dutchman is expected to take a fresh ICE this weekend.
Red Bull pay the price for reliability failures
Due to the reliability failures from earlier this year, Max Verstappen is on the verge of exceeding his annual allocation. A penalty, therefore, is imminent.
Assuming that Red Bull changes the ICE on his RB20, a 10-second grid penalty will be given.
However, should the Austrian outfit choose to introduce a brand new engine to their pool, a greater sanction can be expected.
Still, the consensus (as reported by racingnews365) is that a 10-place penalty is incoming.
Regardless of the action Christian Horner’s team choose, this weekend will be another difficult one for the 26-year-old.
Red Bull are facing increasingly tough competition at the front. With McLaren cutting down on unforced errors, Red Bull’s lead in the Championship is rapidly being eroded.
Unlike lasts season, when Verstappen managed to take victory despite his grid drop, climbing the field will be extremely difficult this weekend.
