Despite the fact that Max Verstappen completed the Friday and Saturday days with the engine that suffered the Silverstone accident, a subsequent check revealed damage that warranted a change of unit.
There was a lot of talk about the engine of Max verstappen in the days leading up to the Hungarian Grand Prix, as the accident at Silverstone cast doubt on his condition. Fitting a new engine meant staying at the limit of the penalty as it was the third unit of the three allowed for the whole year, so Honda did everything possible to save it.
It seemed that this was the case and the Dutchman completed all three free practice sessions and qualifying with the second unit. But nevertheless, a subsequent inspection has revealed damage which are apparently a consequence of the aforementioned accident.
As a result, Honda has made the decision to change four of the six components that make up the power unit: combustion engine, turbo, MGU-H, MGU-K and exhausts. The control unit and the battery system are saved.
“During the post-qualifying checks we noticed something in the Max power unit that could have developed over the course of the weekend, probably an after-effect of the Silverstone accident »Honda said in a statement.
“Therefore, we have exchanged it for a new unit of the same specification. According to the regulation, Max is allowed to start from his third position on the grid without penalty »Remember the Japanese brand.
Thus, Max Verstappen will start from third position with a new engine, although he will have to endure with the three units used for more than half the season if he does not want to suffer a penalty.