Even though the Australian Grand Prix is only the third race of the season, Max Verstappen has already had to replace his Red Bull engine.
The Dutchman damaged his car’s floor after making a mistake during the first practice session in Melbourne on Friday. He ran wide and over the elevated curb, leaving his mechanics with a repair job.
However, it appears that the incident may have also affected the power unit in use. His Red Bull was installed with a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger, generator units, and exhaust system prior to the race on Saturday.
F1 rules enable each driver to utilize a maximum of four of each of the above during a season, with the exception of exhausts, which can be used up to eight times. Any additional components utilized result in an immediate grid penalty the instant they are installed on the car.
Introducing new components thus early in a 24-race season is not ideal. Red Bull will try to repair and recover at least some of those parts for later usage in the season; otherwise, Verstappen will face a penalty at some time.
He was not the only one forced to accept new components. Alex Albon was also in need of new engine parts after crashing his Williams in practice on Friday, causing such much damage to the chassis that he is replacing Logan Sargeant because his own vehicle is not usable.
Verstappen made full advantage of his fresh equipment to secure pole position for Sunday’s race. He complained about understeer throughout practice and the start of qualifying, but he still performed enough to keep the Ferraris at bay.
He commented after the session, “I think so far this weekend, it has been a little difficult to find a good balance in the car.” Even during qualifying (Q1, Q2), I didn’t feel like pushing for pole.
“But then we made some small tweaks to the car, which seemed to help me push it to the limit in Q3. I was pleased with both of my laps. There are always areas where you can improve, but generally, I’m extremely pleased with the performance.”
Verstappen will attempt to convert pole into another triumph on Sunday, tying his own record of ten consecutive Grand Prix victories. Meanwhile, teammate Sergio Perez has been demoted from third to sixth on the grid after receiving a penalty for obstructing Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying.
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