Christian Horner remains cagey over Max Verstappen suffering another engine penalty this season

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently hinted that Max Verstappen could receive yet another grid place penalty for more power unit changes. The Dutchman recently received a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian GP.

Every driver is allowed to change a certain number of power unit parts during an F1 season. However, if a driver exceeds the number of parts changed, they are handed a 10-place grid penalty for it. Max Verstappen recently received this penalty at the Belgian GP for using his fifth internal combustion engine part for his power unit. He started the race from P11 and managed to secure P4 at the end of the race.

Red Bull knew that Verstappen had to receive at least one power unit penalty in 2024. Hence, they strategically changed the power unit at Spa, where they have been quick in recent times.

As per "GPBlog", Christian Horner was asked whether the reigning world champion would receive another penalty for power unit change before the end of 2024. The Red Bull honcho said that any future power unit penalty coming Verstappen's way would depend on how he and the team manage the pool of power units the driver currently has. As of now, he feels that the three-time world champion would not receive any more grid penalties.

"It depends what happens to the pool, so we think we're okay at the moment."

After his recent power unit part change in Belgium, Max Verstappen has used all his allocated power unit part change slots. If the team has to change parts like Turbo Charger, MGU-H, MGU-K, Energy Store, Control Electronics, etc., Verstappen will have to suffer a penalty for it in the coming races.

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Max Verstappen reckons RB20's issues causing more issues than Sergio Perez's performance at Red Bull

Amid rumors about Sergio Perez's potential exit from Red Bull, Max Verstappen supported Checo by saying that fixing RB20's issues should be the team's priority.

Speaking to the media after the Belgium GP, he admitted that the RB20 had some issues that need to be fixed. He praised Checo's performance at Spa and mentioned how both he and the Mexican were struggling with the tires.

“I think our main concern is the car. That's what we should focus on mainly. Because I think if you look at Checo’s weekend, it was very positive I would say. Of course in the race, it just shows that we have difficulties with the tyres, I think still, the tyre life. So I think that should be our main priority,” Verstappen said. (via PlanetF1)

After the 2024 F1 Belgian GP, Max Verstappen extended his lead in the drivers' championship table. He currently has 277 points in total, while Sergio Perez is down in seventh place with 131 points.