Max Verstappen is edging closer to an F1 grid penalty after Red Bull elected to fit a new gearbox ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Ahead of the Monza weekend, Red Bull have fitted the #1 with a new gearbox case and cassette and a new gearbox driveline, gear change components and other auxiliary parts. Drivers are allowed five examples of the casing/cassette and the driveline, with Verstappen having taken three and four examples previously, respectively. It means that he is now onto his fourth casing/cassette and fifth driveline, meaning he could face a grid penalty if a sixth example is needed. However, gearboxes do not need to last a set number of races as in previous years, with old parts able to be re-used. Elsewhere, Sergio Perez is also on a fifth driveline, whilst Oscar Piastri takes a fourth example of each part. Engine change-wise, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Piastri, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg have all taken fresh internal combustion engines, turbo chargers, MGU-H and MGU-K parts, all penalty-free. Bottas, Zhou, Magnussen and Hulkenberg have also taken new exhaust systems, the fifth of the year for each with eight allowed in the season.
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