Though it is only the third race of the season, Max Verstappen already had to swap out the engine in his Red Bull.
When the Dutchman made a mistake during Friday’s first practice in Melbourne, his car’s floor was damaged. His
mechanics had a repair work when he ran wide and went over the raised curb.
However, it seems that the incident might have also affected the operational power unit. His Red Bull received a new
exhaust system, generator units, turbocharger, and internal combustion engine prior to the running on Saturday.
With the exception of exhausts, which they are permitted to use up to eight times during a season, F1 regulations let
each driver to use a maximum of four of each of the aforementioned item throughout competition. The instant
additional parts are installed on the vehicle, a grid penalty is automatically applied.
It’s not ideal to be using new parts this early in a 24-race season. Verstappen will probably receive a penalty at some
point in the season, so Red Bull will be hoping to fix and salvage at least some of those parts for additional use.
Not just him was compelled to take new ingredients. After wrecking his Williams during practice on Friday and
severely damaging the chassis, Alex Albon also needed new engine parts. As a result, he is substituting Logan
Sargeant in his own car, which isn’t usable.
Verstappen grabbed pole position for the race on Sunday by making the most of his new components. Despite
complaining about understeer during practice and the beginning of qualifying, he managed to stave off the Ferraris’
attack. “However, after we made a few small tickles for the car, I felt like I could really push it to the limit in Q3. And
I was really pleased with both of my laps. Although there is always room for improvement, I’m quite happy with the
performance as a whole.”
On Sunday, Verstappen will be looking to turn his pole position into another victory in order to tie his own record of
ten straight Grand Prix wins. In the meantime, teammate Sergio Perez was penalized for obstructing Nico
Hulkenberg during qualifying, which dropped him from third to sixth on the grid.
