McLaren slam Red Bull over Verstappen's Brazil engine swap, F1 rocked | OneFootball

The engine change in Max Verstappen’s car during the Brazilian Grand Prix sparked a heated controversy in the Formula 1 paddock. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella questioned whether Red Bull’s decision to fit a new power unit in the world champion’s RB21 complies with the $135 million budget cap set for the 2025 season, and suggested that the move could provide a covert sporting advantage.

The controversy began after qualifying, in which Verstappen was eliminated in Q1 following a mistake on his flying lap and had to start from 16th place. Given this scenario, Red Bull opted to replace all components of the Honda engine and adjust the car’s setup, taking advantage of the fact that, by starting from the pit lane, the car was no longer under parc fermé conditions. The strategy paid off: the Dutchman climbed through the field to finish third, behind Lando Norris (McLaren) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes).

However, for Stella, the maneuver was noteworthy. “In terms of performance, these engines do not show significant deterioration with mileage, so normally you wouldn’t change an engine or accept a penalty because the benefit doesn’t outweigh the loss,” the Italian explained after the race.

The McLaren boss went further and pointed to the financial side of the operation. “This kind of change also raises a regulatory challenge. I’d like to know if the cost of that engine is included within the budget cap or not,” he warned, before adding, “If the engine was changed for performance reasons, it should be included within the limit. Let’s see if that’s the case or not. That’s one of the reasons why we wouldn’t do it.”

Stella’s words reignite the debate over financial transparency and oversight of the spending cap in Formula 1, a sensitive issue since Red Bull was penalized in 2022 for exceeding the regulatory limit. In a context where every dollar counts and technical performance makes the difference, the Italian engineer’s question exposes a new tension among the championship’s top teams.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.