Verstappen set to start Sao Paulo GP from pit lane after power unit change

Max Verstappen is set to start Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the pit lane after Red Bull made sweeping changes to his car off the back of a disappointing Qualifying display.

Verstappen dramatically dropped out in the Q1 phase at Interlagos as his and Red Bull’s Sprint weekend struggles worsened – the Dutchman complaining that he had “no grip” and had to “massively under-drive”.

With a long race ahead from P16 on the grid, Red Bull have elected to fit a new Honda power unit to Verstappen’s RB21, as well as making various set-up changes under Parc Ferme conditions, triggering a move to the pit lane for lights out.

On Sunday morning, the FIA confirmed that a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbocharger (TC), Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), Energy Store (ES) and Control Electronics (CE) have been fitted to Verstappen’s car – exceeding his season allocations for all elements.

Haas’ Esteban Ocon is another driver to have taken on a fresh ICE, similarly going beyond his allocation, while Verstappen also has a new Exhaust System (EX), but without exceeding the limit on that front.

“All the above listed PU elements were changed during Parc Ferme without the approval of the FIA Technical Delegate,” read a pre-race note from F1’s governing body.

“Also changes have been made to the set-up of the suspension of car number 01 (Verstappen) without the approval of the FIA technical delegate.

“Therefore car numbers 01 and 31 (Ocon) should now be required to start the race from the pit lane according to Article 40.9 a) of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations.”

Verstappen now faces an even bigger task in Sunday’s race as he looks to remain in title contention, a year on from his remarkable recovery from P17 to victory in torrential rain.