Verstappen error leads to Red Bull engine change

Max Verstappen has taken on a new power unit for the remainder of the Australian Grand Prix weekend.

The Dutchman finished second fastest in final practice at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, adding to the two seconds he registered in FP1 and FP2.

But Red Bull was forced into a PU change ahead of Saturday's opening session as a legacy of a mistake made by Verstappen on Friday.

The F1 championship leader ran wide at Turn 10 in first practice and sustained damage to the floor and chassis, missing 20 minutes of the second session as a result.

But RacingNews365 understands that following the incident, a precautionary change due to a reliability concern has seen Verstappen take the second of four engines from his yearly allocation at only the third race of the season.