General
Why Verstappen's engine change at Spa may not be the best time
- Ludo van Denderen
One season is not the other. Whereas in 2023 Max Verstappen could start from the very back of the grid, so to speak, to still win, the Dutchman has a much harder time in '24 with his all-but-perfect Red Bull Racing RB20. That the necessary catch-up race after an expected grid penalty ultimately leads to another win in the Belgian Grand Prix is not in the cards. It raises the question of whether introducing a fifth power unit at Spa is the right decision?
The fact that Verstappen would have to fit a fifth engine during the season was soon clear after the debacle in Canada. As this means the Dutchman exceeds the allowed number of four, it makes him liable to a grid penalty of ten places. The big question since Canada was when Red Bull would choose to do so. So it will be Spa-Francorchamps, knowing that overtaking is relatively good on this track in the Belgian Ardennes.
Verstappen does not believe in winning at Spa
Verstappen is already not taking victory into account, he hinted on Thursday. While it should be quite possible to work his way forward through the field, given the strength of McLaren and even Mercedes, it seems a mission impossible to outsmart even these teams at any point with the expected lead they are likely to have over Verstappen - unlike a year ago.
Without a grid penalty, Verstappen would have been a great candidate for victory, as the track at Spa would be excellent for the RB20 on paper with the long stretches where the Honda can run at full speed. And winning isn't something Red Bull Racing has been doing much of lately. So why throw away the very real chance of winning, when, say, Zandvoort or Singapore are going to make it a lot harder to cross the line first.
Zandvoort or Singapore better?
Now there is a chance that Verstappen will finish in fifth place on Sunday, where his car could just be good enough to win. With no grid penalty, circuits like Zandvoort and Singapore are going to be a challenge for Verstappen and Red Bull anyway given the qualities of the competition and he could just finish fifth there. So why not wait for one of these Grands Prix, as you could just lose less there?
So Red Bull Racing is taking a risk; one that it is to be hoped has been properly discussed with Verstappen. After all, the last thing the Austrians will want is another verbal confrontation with their star driver if Spa does not turn out to be what might have been in store.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy