Max Verstappen receives penalty for Belgian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has received a five-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix as a result of exceeding his gearbox allocation.

The Red Bull driver, who is cruising to his third-straight world title, currently has a 110-point lead in the standings at the halfway stage of the 2023 season.

The Dutchman started 14th on the grid at Spa-Francorchamps last year and went on to win the race and will have a deficit from the start this Sunday given his penalty.

The penalty will just apply to Sunday’s grand prix, as opposed to the sprint race on Saturday.

Teams are limited to just four each of a prescribed number of gearbox components. It is not yet clear which component Verstappen has exceeded his allocation on.

Qualifying for the grand prix takes place on Friday afternoon.

Verstappen has won nine of the 11 races so far this season, with team-mate Sergio Perez winning the other two.

This weekend’s race at Spa is the last meet before the summer break, with the season resuming at the end of August with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.