Bad news for Ricciardo: 'I have to do an engine change'

A grid penalty of no less than 60 places is troubling Yuki Tsunoda at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix due to the change of several power unit elements, while Max Verstappen has to go ten places backwards because of a new engine. The Honda engine is fast, but the Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB teams apparently cannot manage to run with the allowed four power units. Daniel Ricciardo is already looking into the future: he too will soon face a (hefty) grid penalty because of an engine change.

Four engines are allowed this season. Each subsequent engine will incur a grid penalty. Daniel Ricciardo already knows he needs a fifth engine in his VCARB car. But when it will be fitted? "I'm going to take it in the August break," the Australian laughed to the media on Saturday, including GPblog.

A little later, he said in a more serious tone: "It's no secret that you try, if you can, to do it on circuits that aren't super difficult for overtaking. Try to help your chances a little bit. That's obviously here, I guess why Max and Yuki are taking one but it's tough because you never want to give up track position but you would plan to avoid Zandvoort. It's no secret because it's so hard to overtake there. So probably not Zandvoort, we'll see."

Overall, Ricciardo did not want to specify where he would go to take the inevitable penalty. Zandvoort is followed by Monza, a circuit where there is a risk of running into a DRS train. So, that circuit, too, is not ideal for an engine change.