05/09/2015
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen has been handed a drive-through penalty after losing his bodywork in Q1.
Released in the final moments of the opening phase of qualifying after his crew changed his engine - which in itself demoted the Dutchman to the back of the grid - as he rounded the Curva Grande his engine cover, which had not been properly secured, was ripped apart by the wind pressure leaving debris all over the track.
Having heard from the team and examined video evidence, the stewards deemed the Dutchman had been unsafely released - a breach of Article 23.12 (b) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and would have to serve a drive through within the first three laps of the race.
The youngster - who failed to post a time in qualifying - had already been hit with a 20 place grid penalty, comprising 10 positions for his 7th ICE, 5 for his 5th Turbocharger and 5 for his 5th MGU-K.
"We had to fit a new engine between FP3 and qualifying," explained technical director, James Key. "The mechanics did an absolutely outstanding job to get that done in such a short time. Because we felt it was extremely unlikely we’d make the session at all, we wanted to try and get a short run or installation lap in for Max to ensure all was ok with the car. Sadly, there seems to have been a bit of an issue with the bodywork, we are investigating to understand how this happened."
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