Verstappen's PU change a disappointment: 'But in the long run you benefit'

It's a more than understandable action according to Johnny Herbert. The Sky Sports analyst saw during the first two free practice sessions that Mercedes were much faster than Red Bull, making it likely that the current leader in the world championship would lose out to his rivals.

"Verstappen's speed is good when the track remains dry, which is why Red Bull had to make the engine change here," Herbert stated. "Mercedes' speed is very high so it was clear that the first row of the grid was unachievable. It's certainly annoying for Verstappen, but in the long run, you benefit from it."

Grid penalty for Italy incident

Verstappen was already facing a grid penalty in addition to the engine change. The driver of Red Bull caused an accident with his competitor Hamilton during the GP of Italy, so the drivers could not continue. The grid penalty was three places.