Author Archives: PressBox

Max Verstappen said he expects to take a grid penalty before the end of the Formula 1 season, but not in Azerbaijan, after an engine problem disrupted his qualifying and left Red Bull considering a possible unit change from its existing pool. Verstappen said the internal combustion engine issue started in Q1, left him about half a second down on the straights, and then worsened through Q2 and Q3. He said a penalty would have to come later in the year, while Red Bull still had another engine available that would avoid one in Baku.

The problem derailed a session that had started strongly. Verstappen topped final practice and was second in both Q1 and Q2 before the car lost power, the battery did not charge properly in Q3, and he had to abort a lap. He said the aborted run hurt tyre temperature for his final attempt, and a yellow flag caused by Lando Norris added to the setback. George Russell took pole position, and Verstappen ended up eighth, 1.555 seconds off the pace.

Verstappen said the engine issue also caused battery and system problems, and Red Bull later traced the battery trouble to the combustion-engine issue. He said the car was short of top speed all session and that the setback cost him at least half a second to his teammate. Verstappen said second place could have been possible without the problems, and he still believed he could race back toward the podium from eighth.

David Coulthard has drawn attention for criticizing Charles Leclerc’s family-heavy presence in the Formula 1 paddock while discussing Ferrari’s driver dilemma with Lewis Hamilton. On the Up To Speed podcast, the former F1 driver said Leclerc’s wife Alexandra, their dog Leo and her pregnancy made the scene feel “too much,” calling Formula 1 serious and dangerous business, not “a weekend away picnic.” He also said Leclerc’s “poster boy” image goes too far, though he acknowledged the criticism may reflect an older generation.

Coulthard’s comments came as he weighed Ferrari’s handling of Leclerc and Hamilton, who are both current Ferrari drivers. He said Ferrari have no choice but to manage two of the best drivers in the world, and argued Hamilton has been the more consistent driver this season and has scored more points. He also said Leclerc had the edge last year and still has the raw speed and energy of a younger driver.

The remarks landed as Leclerc and Alexandra Saint Mleux’s relationship has become more public, with the pair going public in 2023 and marrying in Monaco on February 28, 2026. Leclerc had previously welcomed Leo into the paddock after adopting the dog in 2024. Leclerc and Saint Mleux were also expecting their first child, and Leclerc said in a Ferrari video that he was very proud to become a father. On track, Leclerc had one win in the season referenced and sat fifth in the championship behind Hamilton, while starting second for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he chased a second victory of the year.

Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez were handed grid penalties after qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, reshaping the starting order for Saturday’s race. Sainz received a five-place drop and two penalty points for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags in Q3, while Perez was given a three-place penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri in Q1. The changes came as George Russell secured pole position for Mercedes, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Piastri.

Sainz’s penalty erased a breakthrough result for Williams after he qualified ninth, his best performance of the season and his first time reaching Q3 in 2026. Stewards said yellow flags were clearly visible and that telemetry showed no meaningful speed reduction in the affected sector after Sainz went off the throttle only partially. Williams had warned him to lift ahead, and the FIA rejected his explanation that he had made a global lift. The penalty dropped him to 14th on the grid and took him to four penalty points over the previous 12 months.

Perez’s three-place penalty came after stewards said he moved into Piastri’s path while warming his tyres on a preparation lap through Turns 18, 19 and 20, despite two radio warnings that the McLaren driver was approaching. Officials ruled the block unnecessary but not dangerous, and Piastri said he had to lift but did not think he lost much time. Perez had qualified 20th anyway, and was still expected to start there because Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were facing larger engine-related penalties. Russell’s pole lap was timed at 1:42.526, 0.837 seconds ahead of Leclerc, while Kimi Antonelli’s Q1 crash left him set for a recovery drive from 16th.