Max Verstappen will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from eighth place, but there’s a major change under the hood of his Red Bull. The team has replaced four power unit components on his RB21 ahead of Sunday’s race at the Baku City Circuit.
The changes include a new internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger (TC), exhaust system (EXH), and an additional power unit component (PU-ANC). Crucially, all four replacements come from within Verstappen’s allocated pool for the season. That means no grid penalty, and he will line up in P8.
The decision came after Verstappen struggled with power deployment issues during Saturday’s qualifying. The four-time world champion couldn’t match his rivals’ straight-line speed and ended up five-tenths behind his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar. In practice, however, Verstappen had shown promising pace, featuring in the top three in all three sessions.
“We saw an anomaly in the power unit data after qualifying,” a team insider said on condition of anonymity. “Changing these components is a preventive measure to ensure Max can maximise the car’s potential in the race. We don’t want to lose performance due to avoidable technical issues.”
For Red Bull, this is a crucial moment. Verstappen is locked in a tight battle in the drivers’ championship, and every point counts. Baku is a track that demands engine power and aerodynamic efficiency. With a fresh power unit, Verstappen is expected to charge through the field and exploit aggressive race strategies.
But Verstappen isn’t the only one in the spotlight. Carlos Sainz also received a grid penalty after his best qualifying of the season. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Lando Norris revealed his ‘pole or die trying’ approach amid a ‘painful’ performance deficit. The Azerbaijan GP is shaping up to be a thriller.
With these component changes, can Verstappen fight his way from eighth to victory? Or will his rivals capitalise? The action in Baku will tell.
Baca Juga
Christian Horner mengkritik Adrian Newey dalam buku barunya, menyebut tak bisa diandalkan. Simak klaim pedas dan latar belakang pemecatannya di Red Bull.
George Russell start dari pole di F1 Azerbaijan 2026, sementara Antonelli crash di Q1 dan start ke-16. Balapan di Baku berpotensi mengubah peta persaingan juara.
Carlos Sainz terkena penalti lima posisi grid setelah kualifikasi F1 Azerbaijan 2026. Simak penyebab dan dampaknya bagi Williams.
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