News Summary

Max Verstappen is set to start Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix from the back of the grid after Red Bull opted to fit a fresh power unit to his car, according to De Telegraaf, as reported by RacingNews365.

Red Bull had planned to put off the scheduled change for as long as possible. Problems emerged with the power unit during Friday’s running at Interlagos, and the team reportedly judged that continuing with it carried too much risk. The full swap brings forward the grid penalty Red Bull had been trying to defer.

The FIA had yet to publish a decision confirming the penalty or listing the individual components replaced at the time of writing.

A grid drop would undo a strong Friday at Interlagos

Verstappen was third in both Friday sessions. In second practice, he was 0.259s behind Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and just 0.006s behind Lando Norris in the McLaren.

It was a competitive day on the timesheets, despite a difficult one in the cockpit. Verstappen reported gearshift issues and ended FP2 with around five minutes remaining after complaining about how the car felt in a straight line. Red Bull strategy chief Hannah Schmitz told Motorsport.com that inconsistent long-run data made it difficult for the team to learn much from keeping him out.

Verstappen has come through the field twice before

Verstappen started 17th in wet conditions at Interlagos in 2024 and went on to win. A year later, Red Bull changed his power unit and made set-up changes under parc fermé. He started from the pit lane and recovered to third.

This year’s report points to a back-of-grid start. The FIA decision will establish the terms of any penalty, and the weekend forecast leaves open the possibility of another wet Sunday at Interlagos.

Russell has a confirmed penalty and Hamilton also faces a reported drop

George Russell already has a five-place grid penalty after Mercedes fitted a new internal combustion engine. RacingNews365 also reported that Lewis Hamilton is set for a demotion after Ferrari opted to fit a fresh power unit element beyond his season allocation. The size of Hamilton’s reported drop remains unconfirmed.

The penalties could bring three of the closest drivers in the standings into the same recovery battle. Verstappen arrives in São Paulo second on 261 points, with Hamilton two points behind and Russell 11 back. Qualifying starts at 15:00 local time on Saturday, with the Grand Prix scheduled for 14:00 local time on Sunday.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix in Formula 1 live from Interlagos.