18/04/2025 16:12
Red Bull has elected to change the power units of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda's cars at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The world champion and his team-mate have both been equipped with a fresh Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), turbocharger, MGU-H, and MGU-K for the Jeddah weekend, where straight-line speed is vital. Verstappen and Tsunoda had only used one example of each component across the first four races, meaning they will not incur a grid penalty for the changes as they take the second permitted component from their allocation of four for the entire season. Last time out in Bahrain, both drivers took a fresh energy store and control electronics, putting them on the cusp of a penalty as only two of those components are allowed penalty-free, although boss Christian Horner soothed fears of a potential penalty later in the season. Elsewhere, fellow Red Bull Powertrains-powered drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson sister team Racing Bulls have also been armed with a new ICE, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K, whilst Alpine has also introduced new components. Both Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan have been given a new turbocharger, and MGU-H, whilst Gasly also has taken a fresh ICE, and MGU-K. Verstappen, Tsunoda, Gasly, Hadjar, Lawson and Haas driver Esteban Ocon have all also taken a fresh exhaust system, with eight of these allowed penalty-free in the system. All the changes made are penalty-free, meaning no driver will take a grid-drop for any of the fresh components taken.
