Verstappen's engine question mark follows Red Bull to Sepang

Max Verstappen won the last Formula 1 race held at Sepang, in 2017. He comes back this week after a second-place finish in Baku, but it is not yet clear whether he will be hit with a grid penalty for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (2–4 October).

What happened in Baku

Verstappen topped final practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, then his engine let him down in qualifying. He told reporters: "Throughout qualifying, already from Q1, I had a problem with the engine, which meant I was losing at least half a second compared to my teammate." He added: "In Q2 and Q3 it was a complete disaster."

He qualified eighth, 1.555 seconds off George Russell's pole time. PlanetF1 reported that before the race Red Bull replaced the internal combustion engine, turbocharger, a power-unit auxiliary part and the exhaust. All of those came from his season allocation, so there was no penalty in Baku.

Verstappen then came back to finish second, just 0.196s behind Russell. Teammate Isack Hadjar was also on the podium.

Why a penalty is still possible

Drivers who use more power-unit parts than the regulations allow get grid penalties. RacingNews365 reported that Verstappen has already used three engines and has a fourth left in his pool. The key question is whether the engine taken out in Baku can go back into the car.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said: "It is not clear yet. It will very much depend on our analysis of the issues we had with his engine [in qualifying], which we had to take off the car, and whether or not we can use that engine again."

He added: "Based on that, we will see if we can make it to the end with his fourth engine [from the pool]."

Verstappen himself seems to expect a penalty at some point. "Yeah, there definitely has to be a penalty at some point," he said in Baku. He also noted: "We still have another engine available in the pool."

As of Monday, no grid penalty had been announced for Sepang. Teams often take engine penalties at circuits where overtaking is easier. Sepang's two long straights make it one of the stronger candidates on the calendar, although Red Bull has not said when, or whether, it will take one.

One penalty already confirmed

Franco Colapinto already has a five-place grid drop for Sepang, for his part in the Baku pile-up that took out Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly.

The title picture

Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 302 points after Baku. Russell's win cut the gap to 66 points. Verstappen went into the Baku weekend sixth in the standings, well out of title contention, so a Sepang penalty would hurt Red Bull's points haul more than any championship hopes.

Mekies said Verstappen "was very, very strong from Friday onwards, and probably would have been fighting for that first row without the issues we had with the PU."

Key takeaways

• Verstappen's Baku qualifying was ruined by engine problems, and Red Bull changed parts within his allocation to avoid a penalty.
• He has used three engines and has a fourth left, according to RacingNews365.
• Red Bull has not yet decided whether a penalty is needed. That depends on whether the damaged engine can be reused.
• Colapinto already has a five-place grid drop for the Sepang race.

FAQ

Will Verstappen start from the back at Sepang? Nothing had been announced as of 28 September. Red Bull says it depends on its analysis of the engine taken out in Baku.

When did Verstappen last race at Sepang? In 2017, the last time F1 raced at Sepang. He won that Malaysian Grand Prix.

What is the gap at the top of the championship? Antonelli leads Russell by 66 points going into the Sepang race.

Sources: PlanetF1, RacingNews365, Grande Prêmio, Sky Sports