Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix after Red Bull confirmed a engine change that incurs a penalty. The Dutchman has won three of the last four races to move into second in the Drivers' Championship, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the decision to replace Verstappen's engine, which triggers the grid penalty for the four-time world champion. Verstappen will need a strong drive to secure an eighth successive podium finish.
Mekies Confirms Engine Penalty
Mekies told Sky Sports F1: "As you may or may not know, 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."
"He has done a few miracles in the past here starting from the back and we are sure that he will do a few more this year," Mekies added.
Verstappen's History of Recovery Drives
Verstappen has a history of remarkable recoveries at Interlagos, winning from 17th on the grid in 2024 before finishing third last year after starting from the pitlane.
The 29-year-old appeared resigned when discussing the penalty with Viaplay, laughing as he explained: "Qualifying doesn't really matter that much, to be honest. I'm starting last anyway, because we have a new engine in the car."
"It makes sense that you'd go all out right away. That decision was made sometime after Friday's session, because we saw that it needed to be replaced," he said.
Verstappen Tired of Repeat Penalties
On his history of recovery drives at this Grand Prix, Verstappen added: "At some point, you just get tired of it, right? Sure, it was fun, but I don't really want to do it here every year."
"But yeah, that's just how it is. That's why today doesn't really matter all that much," he added. "It's just going to be a bit of a long day..."
