Max Verstappen will most probably have to face an "inevitable" penalty sooner or later, according to Christian Horner.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull enjoyed a super dominant "unicorn" (as Christian Horner tends to call it) season in 2023, during which it wasn't unusual for the Dutchman to win a race with a lead of over 20 seconds.
Having such an advantage over their rivals allowed Red Bull and the triple World Champion to manage their car and power units much more effectively than in 2024.
This year, Red Bull already lost all their advantage over McLaren and Mercedes, which means they have to push flat out every race if they want to win.
Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez already took a penalty for using a power unit outside of allocation during the 2024 British Grand Prix, and the team principal, Christian Horner, suggested the same would be inevitable for the triple World Champion sooner or later.
"I'm sure at some point we'll end up taking an extra engine for Max. It's just a question of when you strategically choose to do that."
"So we're working with Honda on that. Inevitably we will take a penalty at some point in the year."
Fortunately for Verstappen, he has built up a decent lead in the Drivers' Championship (84 points), and he can now afford to lose a couple of points.
Red Bull is also planning to bring some more upgrades to the 26-year-old's car, which should make his life easier. Horner added:
"There's stuff that we have in the pipeline, there are still gains to be had. Inevitably, when it becomes closer, it's down to those marginal fine details that make the difference."
"Form is moving around a bit. Mercedes was strong [at Silverstone}, McLaren was strong [in Austria], we won in Barcelona. Out of this triple header, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Max has scored the most points."
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