Red Bull

Verstappen facing penalties as Honda confirm Red Bull's worst fears

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale Thursday 26 August 2021 19:25

Honda has confirmed both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have lost their second power units due to irreparable damage, leaving the Red Bull duo facing near-certain penalties at some stage this F1 season.

Verstappen initially thought his second engine had been spared after his high-speed, 51g crash at Silverstone following an incident with Lewis Hamilton as it was used in Hungarian Grand Prix practice before Red Bull noticed cracks ahead of qualifying.

Ahead of this weekend's Belgian GP, Honda has revealed the issue is too severe to repair.

Perez was then involved in the first-lap chaos at the Hungaroring triggered by Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, leaving his second PU also too severe to salvage.

To restrict costs, each driver is permitted to use three power units across what is still expected to be a 23-race calendar.

This means both drivers will be using their final power units of the season with the likelihood of 12 races still remaining on the schedule.

Any additional engines fitted will bring grid penalties and the potential to skew the championship fight in favour of Mercedes and Hamilton.

Latest News

Red Bull News

Red Bull awarded surprise victory in official F1 verdict

45 minutes ago

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton crowned CHAMPION in stunning end to 2024

1 hour ago

Features

2025 F1 grid re-shuffles as star AXED after official announcement

2 hours ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Red Bull BOMBSHELL emerges as Perez drive confirmed

3 hours ago

Latest F1 News

Horner takes NEW dig at Wolff in Hamilton Ferrari verdict

Today 14:57

F1 Social

Hamilton suffers major F1 DEMOTION in team boss snub

Today 13:57

More news

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

Verstappen facing penalties as Honda confirm Red Bull's worst fears

Verstappen facing penalties as Honda confirm Red Bull's worst fears