Max Verstappen gets grid penalty for Italian GP

Max Verstappen has been given a five-place grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix, after Red Bull fitted a new Internal Combustion Engine to his RB18.

The Red Bull driver is leading the standings by 109 points as we enter round 16 of the Formula 1 world championship this weekend at Monza, and looks an increasingly safe bet to win a second crown this year.

Certainly, it’s proving to be a far more straight-forward season compared to that of 2021 and he’ll be enjoying the ride after winning the first two legs of the triple-header since the summer break, at both Spa and Zandvoort respectively.

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Indeed, in Spa he showed that grid penalties are no problem for him at the wheel of the RB18 and, indeed, you’d expect him to be still in the mix for victory this weekend despite behind handed a five-place drop for Sunday’s race, following on from the team fitting a new ICE, which is one of several components that make up an F1 power unit

Verstappen isn’t the only driver to face grid penalties this weekend, with several others also set to drop down from their qualifying spot at Monza.

A circuit that is fast and that provides good overtaking opportunities, we often see teams taking a grid penalty hit here as they feel their drivers have a good chance of making those places back up during the race, and so Verstappen is far from alone in being penalised.

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Sergio Perez will drop 10 spots in the other Red Bull, whilst Lewis Hamilton is set to be at the back of the field after Mercedes installed a full new power unit, following on from the incident he had with Fernando Alonso