FIA confirms 30-place Max Verstappen penalty at Brazilian Grand Prix
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is a four-time F1 world champion
The FIA has confirmed that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid at the Brazilian Grand Prix due to an engine penalty.
It comes after Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, backed the four-time world champion to perform more “miracles” from the rear of the grid at Interlagos.
FIA confirms Max Verstappen penalty at Brazilian Grand Prix
Verstappen has won three of the last four races to move up to second place in the drivers’ standings.
The 29-year-old holds a two-point advantage over Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton entering the Brazilian Grand Prix having triumphed in Malaysia, Singapore and Mexico over recent weeks.
Ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session in Brazil, the FIA stewards have confirmed that Verstappen will start from the back of the grid after exceeding his engine component allowance for the F1 2026 season.
Verstappen has taken a fifth internal combustion engine, fifth turbocharger and fifth exhaust of the campaign at Interlagos.
The component changes add up to a combined total of 30 places.
A change to the rules over recent years means that drivers who accumulate grid drops worth more than 15 places must automatically start from the back of the grid.
Verstappen has also taken a new power unit ancillary component in Brazil, but this change falls inside his permitted component allowance, meaning it will not add to his grid penalty.
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A three-time winner in Brazil, Verstappen’s grid drop means he will serve a penalty at Interlagos for the third year running.
Verstappen memorably won from 17th on the grid in 2024 to take a major step towards a fourth consecutice world championship, with the 29-year-old recovering from a pit-lane start to third place last season.
Speaking ahead of FP3 in Sao Paulo, Mekies tipped Verstappen to perform another “miracle” from his lowly grid slot on Sunday.
Mekies told Sky F1: “As you may or may not know, we will have to take an engine penalty with Max.
“He will start from the back, a position he knows very well here after the last two years.
“He has done a few miracles in the past here starting from the back and we are sure that he will do a few more this year.”
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Verstappen is not the only leading driver facing a grid penalty in Brazil.
Hamilton and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc will both serve 10-place penalties in Brazil after taking a fifth internal combustion engine of the F1 2026 season.
Meanwhile, Mercedes driver George Russell will drop five places on the grid after moving on to a sixth ICE of the campaign.
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