"Two of the easiest circuits on the calendar" - Here's why Max Verstappen took an engine penalty at 2022 F1 Belgian GP

Red Bull's Christian Horner has explained why Max Verstappen is to take an engine penalty at the 2022 Belgian GP. The Dutchman will start at the back of the grid at Spa-Francorchamps and will hopefully put on a show for fans.

Red Bull's decision to give Max Verstappen new power unit parts came down to a careful analysis of the remainder of the F1 calendar. Horner claimed the Dutchman's home race at Zandvoort is a poor place to take an engine grid penalty due to the narrow nature of the track. The Briton also claimed that Monza's high-speed circuit is not as overtake-friendly as people like to think, making Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps the optimal location for the same.

Christian Horner commented on Max Verstappen's engine penalty, saying:

“You look strategically at the calendar, I think we felt it was particularly tight to get to the end of the year with the engine allocation we have. So you then look at the circuits coming up – Zandvoort, you don’t want to take it there; Monza is actually harder to overtake than you think; Singapore, you don’t want to take it there; Japan’s tricky to overtake.”

The Red Bull boss added:

“I think the problem with Zandvoort is it’s narrow, it’s twisty, it’s very, very hard to overtake. Here, probably the smallest overtaking delta needed of the season – here and Bahrain are probably two of the easiest circuits on the calendar to actually make an overtake.”

Interestingly, Verstappen's championship rival Charles Leclerc is also taking an engine penalty, potentially reducing the damage done to the Red Bull driver in the Driver Standings.

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"Max Verstappen has everything it takes to be the sport's top driver," claims former driver

Former McLaren driver Pedro de la Rosa claims that Max Verstappen has everything it takes to become one of the best of all time in F1. Speaking to RacingNews365.com, the Spaniard was questioned about what he felt was the ceiling of the Red Bull driver. He replied:

“I think Max has everything it takes to become one of the best of all time in Formula 1. He has all the qualities, that’s for sure. Only time will tell which teams he will drive for and how competitive those teams will be in the next 10 years. But Max has everything it takes to become the best.’’

The Spaniard believes that despite there being exceptional talents on the grid, Verstappen has established himself as a step above them. He continued:

“I think he is the best driver at the moment. But let’s not forget [Lewis] Hamilton, [Fernando] Alonso and [Charles] Leclerc and I also have a lot of respect for drivers like [Lando] Norris, [George] Russell or [Carlos] Sainz, who are at a high level. If I had to choose a driver who is peaking and reaching his highest level right now, it would be Max.’’

Max Verstappen currently sits 80 points clear of championship rival Charles Leclerc. However, as the 2021 season proved, there is still plenty of time for the tide to change in any direction.