MAX VERSTAPPEN will take a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race in Brazil in a boost for McLaren title rival Lando Norris.
The penalty comes after Red Bull put a new engine in Verstappen’s RB20 with four races remaining.
Max Verstappen has been hit with a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix
Lando Norris has been handed a boost as he bids to reduce the gap in the Drivers’ Championship
Verstappen will be using his sixth internal combustion engine for the race at Interlagos, his second such breach of the season.
The move had been expected after the Dutchman finished sixth at last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed there was a leak in the previous engine’s intake tract on Sunday.
Verstappen’s grid penalty will boost Norris’ hopes of reducing the Dutchman’s 47-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
With the Brazilian GP being a Sprint track, Interlagos will host a shortened race on Saturday.
But Verstappen’s penalty only applies to Sunday’s full-length contest.
Meanwhile, Norris topped the only practice session in Sao Paulo earlier today, with qualifying due to start at 6:30pm.
Verstappen leads Norris with four races of the season remaining.
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The three-time champ aborted his only attempt at a flying lap on soft tyres and finished 15th in practice.
Verstappen, 27, was given two 10-second time penalties for being overly aggressive in wheel-to-wheel combat with Norris last Sunday.
He finished 59 seconds down on race-winner Carlos Sainz in Mexico, so even without the penalties, would have been fourth at best.
Norris closed the gap after picking up 18 points following his second-place finish.
Verstappen, who has not won since June’s Spanish GP, did not want to go into details about the incidents and was more concerned about Red Bull’s lack of pace.
Each driver is entitled to use four power units throughout the course of the season and face grid penalties for exceeding the limit.
Verstappen incurred a 10-place grid penalty after taking his fifth engine of the season in Belgium in July.
Red Bull’s decision to take the penalty in Brazil will have been largely motivated by the many straightforward overtaking opportunities the circuit presents.
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