A slew of Formula One drivers, including title contenders Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, were handed a variety of grid penalties for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday.
Ferrari’s Leclerc, Red Bull’s Verstappen, McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Haas F1’s Mick Schumacher and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas are in the mix for the final six spots on the grid after power unit and gearbox components in their cars were changed that pushed them over the quota. The penalties varied with a range of automatic back of the grid ones and 10 or more spots, for example.
Spa is known as one of the best tracks for overtaking, and with nine races left on the calendar (including the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday), taking the penalties now helps their chances of finishing the season without more penalties. Formal confirmation of the penalties by the FIA is expected later on Friday.
Verstappen holds an 80-point lead over Leclerc for the driver title, and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez is just five points behind the Ferrari driver in third. Mercedes, meanwhile, isn’t in the group that received penalties early on Friday. As a three-way race brews, could another double podium from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (or the Silver Arrows’ first win of the season) be on the horizon with the title contenders fighting from the back of the grid?
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