Max Verstappen will be unable to use the engine which was damaged in his heavy British Grand Prix crash, Honda have confirmed.
The manufacturer originally gave Red Bull the all-clear to continue using Verstappen’s RA621H power unit, the second which had been fitted to his car this year, after he tested it in practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, following further inspection it was replaced on the morning of the race.Honda has now confirmed the engine cannot be used. It’s a further blow for Red Bull, who also lost the power unit which was in Sergio Perez’s car when he was involved in a first-lap crash at the last race.
Neither driver was considered responsible for the crashes. Verstappen was hit by Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone while Sergio Perez had contact with the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas at the Hungaroring.
Both Red Bull drivers are now unlikely to be able to complete the campaign without switching to a fourth power unit, which will mean an automatic grid penalty. This will cost them at least 10 places, likely more if multiple power unit elements have to be replaced.
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Power unit components used so far
No. | Car | Engine | Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE | EX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | Alpine | Renault | Esteban Ocon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
33 | Red Bull | Honda | Max Verstappen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
55 | Ferrari | Ferrari | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
14 | Alpine | Renault | Fernando Alonso | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
22 | AlphaTauri | Honda | Yuki Tsunoda | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
11 | Red Bull | Honda | Sergio Perez | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
10 | AlphaTauri | Honda | Pierre Gasly | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
16 | Ferrari | Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
9 | Haas | Ferrari | Nikita Mazepin | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
7 | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | Kimi Raikkonen | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
99 | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | Antonio Giovinazzi | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
47 | Haas | Ferrari | Mick Schumacher | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
63 | Williams | Mercedes | George Russell | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
5 | Aston Martin | Mercedes | Sebastian Vettel | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
77 | Mercedes | Mercedes | Valtteri Bottas | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
4 | McLaren | Mercedes | Lando Norris | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
3 | McLaren | Mercedes | Daniel Ricciardo | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
31 | Williams | Mercedes | Nicholas Latifi | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
44 | Mercedes | Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
18 | Aston Martin | Mercedes | Lance Stroll | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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2021 Belgian Grand Prix
- Spa spectators who saw no racing offered prize draw for 2022 tickets
- Ocon congratulated by past French F1 aces after breakthrough win
- ‘Wrong to award points for a couple of laps behind the Safety Car’ – Horner
- Hamilton offers “exclusive gift” to fans who attended Belgian GP wash-out
- Change rules to give points for qualifying if race can’t happen – Seidl
w0o0dy
26th August 2021, 17:54
Maybe Pierre could earn a seat at Redbull by doing a “Bowling Bottas” on Hamilton…
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
26th August 2021, 18:18
lol, but is it worth it? With all the luck that folks claim Lewis has had this season, it’s far more likely Gasly’s car will ricochet off Lewis’s car and take out Max and Checo requiring 2 new chassis and 2 new engines;-) I’m sure Lewis will fall to the last position and 1 lap down and somehow win the race while Alonso holds him up for 60 laps…
Nimba (@nimba)
27th August 2021, 9:26
That really sums up the Lewis Hamilton kind of luck in F1 . I don’t remember exactly the race but it was in the V8 era, there was rain, everybody spinning, Force India having gone up the field and retired, whosoever was going into the gravel was retiring except, of course, Lewis Hamilton.
Qeki (@qeki)
27th August 2021, 10:00
I remember something similar happening in Nurburgring in 07. 4-6 other cars were on gravel in the first corner but Hamilton forced the tracktor driver to move his car back on the tarmac while he was still in it.
Ldom (@ldom)
27th August 2021, 10:06
If everyone is spinning and you stay on the track, is it luck? Or is it that maybe you’re doing something better?
ChrisVB
27th August 2021, 12:57
If your car is spinning, by definition you’re not in control anymore.
Yes technically it might be possible for a super driver to recover the car correctly from the spin, but then again that same super driver probably wouldn’t have gone into a spin.
I do agree that Hamilton really seems to be ‘blessed’.
Or he has a contract with the devil, I don’t know.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
26th August 2021, 18:35
A lot of similarity between Verstappen 2021 and Hamilton 2016, likewise Hamilton 2021 and Rosberg 2016.
rodewulf (@rodewulf)
26th August 2021, 18:52
@kingshark
Yeah, and when you come to think the sandbaggers themselves are happier with their car now, it might represent the end of the championship close fight. I hope not, and in fact I find it more likely to be just another swing in momentum for the season, but let’s see.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
27th August 2021, 10:58
Exactly, I’ve been saying this for a while.
Balue (@balue)
26th August 2021, 19:06
Understandable Honda don’t want a mid-race engine failure in their swansong season.
khm78 (@khm)
26th August 2021, 20:06
What is EX?
Andy (@andyfromsandy)
26th August 2021, 20:10
Exhausts
Daver
26th August 2021, 21:52
And also ES and CE?
mystic one (@mysticus)
26th August 2021, 21:55
they make the most noise in the paddock, i m surprised they are not on their 10th EX already :)
Todfod (@todfod)
27th August 2021, 5:57
Looks like it’s official. Renault is now the worst power unit on the grid. Least reliable, lowest performance and worst to package.
Dave
27th August 2021, 11:10
And they went from more suppliers to only one.
Nimba (@nimba)
27th August 2021, 9:28
Ferrari getting so reliable, they may supply the whole grid come 2030.
Zsolt
27th August 2021, 13:36
I don’t get it. Verstappen’s engine didn’t fail it started leaking oil. So maybe do a bit welding, or some mechanical reinforcement and use it in FP2-s until it actually does fail.