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Verstappen set to escape gearbox grid penalty at Dutch GP

Max Verstappen has escaped a gearbox penalty following his stoppage in Dutch GP FP1.

Max Verstappen will not receive a Formula 1 gearbox penalty following his stoppage in Dutch Grand Prix FP1. The Dutchman reported an issue between fourth and fifth gear before his car stopped out on track with a transmission issue, after just completing seven laps in front of the home crowd. Prior to the session Red Bull changed the main shaft locking insert without incurring a penalty, however, Verstappen will also escape any further grid penalties following a change made at Spa Francorchamps last weekend. Red Bull increased the pool of gearboxes when they took the Power Unit penalties for the Belgian Grand Prix. This means they didn't have to break a gearbox seal, and crucially means Verstappen escapes taking a grid drop this weekend. Speaking to Dutch media, Motorsport-Magazin.com , Helmut Marko confirmed they added the extra gearbox to the pool last time out. "Fortunately we have increased the pool of gearboxes in Spa. We don't know what happened yet, we have to open the car first. But there won't be a penalty. On the other hand we had experience of back-launching by now!"

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