Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsToro Rosso

Verstappen facing grid penalty at Spa

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Max Verstappen is set to take a grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix as a result of an engine change.

Renault has struggled for reliability throughout 2015 so far, leading to Verstappen receiving a grid penalty in Canada after exceeding the maximum number of power unit components allowed per car during the season. Having used his fifth power unit in Montreal, Toro Rosso has confirmed Verstappen will also require a new engine for this weekend's race at Spa-Francorchamps.

"As for the race, we will need to understand the tyres well and work on a good strategy, especially for Max now, as he will have to pick-up a grid penalty for changing his engine," chief race engineer Phil Charles said. "It’s a pity, being this his home Grand Prix, but this is racing and we’re looking forward to the challenge!”

Verstappen joins the McLaren pair of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button in receiving a penalty, with Alonso hit with a 30-place grid penalty and Button facing a drop of 25 places following qualifying.

Click here for a gallery of the biggest crashes at Spa-Francorchamps

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.