Max Verstappen to drop five places on Monza grid, Sergio Perez 10

Jamie Woodhouse
Max Verstappen in qualifying. Zandvoort September 2022.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen sat in his cockpit. Zandvoort September 2022.

Max Verstappen will take a new Internal Combustion Engine at the Italian Grand Prix, which sees him drop five places on the grid.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, a host of engine penalties made qualifying somewhat irrelevant when it came to forming the grid as not one driver started the race in the position where they qualified.

And now another jumbled-up grid is on the way for Monza, with Verstappen headlining a group of drivers taking engine penalties, which also includes his team-mate Sergio Perez.

Verstappen was hit with a back-of-the-grid start in Belgium for taking a new power unit and thus exceeding his season’s total.

And after rumours swirled that a new ICE would come the Dutchman’s way for Monza, demoting him five places for the start of the Italian Grand Prix, this news was later confirmed on the opening day of track action.

Red Bull still had a presence on the front row in Belgium, Perez sharing that with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who inherited pole position, although that will not be the case this time around as Perez will be demoted 10 places after taking a new ICE, taking him to four for the season and one over the allowed number.

Sainz also is in the firing line, collecting grid penalties totalling 25 places for taking a new energy store, MGU-K and gearbox.

Numerous other drivers are also faced with penalties, such as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, with the team rolling out a fourth new power unit of the season for him at Monza, the Briton saying it was his fault as his collision with Fernando Alonso on the opening lap in Belgium had inflicted damage.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas drops 15 places for taking a new ICE, turbocharger and MGU-H.

Meanwhile, for AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, it has been confirmed he will take a back-of-the-grid penalty. AlphaTauri have fitted his AT03 with a new power unit after he was set to fall 10 places on the grid anyway after reaching five reprimands for the season.