Max Verstappen finds himself in typical late-season territory as the four-time F1 champion has joined his main rivals in teetering on the edge of a grid penalty.
With Red Bull's decision to fit a fresh power unit at the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen has entered the same precarious position as McLaren duo Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes' George Russell.
All five drivers are now walking a tightrope through the remaining eight races of the 2025 campaign, knowing that one more complete engine change will trigger an automatic relegation to the back of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton with his Ferrari, Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, and Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes crossed this particular threshold earlier in the season, each taking grid penalties to secure additional power units for their respective pools. Should any of the trio require another engine change, further punishment would inevitably follow.
To recap, for the internal combustion engine, turbo, MGU-H and MGU-K components, drivers are permitted four units per season without penalty. The energy store and control electronics allocation is even more restrictive at just two units each, whilst exhaust systems allow for eight changes before sanctions kick in.
The drivers currently in the danger zone do retain some flexibility, however. Teams can revert to previously used engines that remain within their allocated pool, potentially avoiding immediate penalties whilst preserving fresher units for crucial races later in the campaign.
Red Bull's strategic approach
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies recently addressed the delicate balancing act his squad faces in managing Verstappen's engine allocation through to the season's end.
"I could say I don't know yet, but no. Seriously, I think we are pretty good," Mekies explained. "We put a new engine in Max's car [at Monza], of course, and we made a strategic change with Yuki [Tsunoda] a few races ago. So I am confident, and I hope it will work out."
The Frenchman's confidence suggests Red Bull has mapped out their component strategy in advance, though with eight races, even the best-laid plans can unravel quickly.
Check out the full list of engine parts used by the top four teams in F1 in 2025 below! (ICE = internal combustion engine, TC = turbo charger, ES = energy store, CE = control electronics, EX = exhaust)
Number of engine parts used in F1 in 2025 (top four teams)
| Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE | EX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Piastri | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Lando Norris | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Charles Leclerc | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Max Verstappen | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| George Russell | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Kimi Antonelli | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on the Italian Grand Prix! Max Verstappen's dominant win is a lead discussion, as is whether McLaren has set a precedent with its controversial team orders.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
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