Honda confirms new engine and grid penalty for Max in Monza

Published on 04 September 2019 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen will have Honda’s new Spec-4 power unit available for the Italian Grand Prix, which means that he will be handed out a grid-penalty. In Monza he will be playing catch-up as he is bound to start from the back of the field.

Toyoharu Tanabe, technical director for Honda Racing F1, explains: “From a PU point of view, the main development is that we plan to run the Spec-4 PU with all four drivers for the first time, after just Albon and Kvyat ran it in Belgium. For their first race with Spec-4, Gasly and Verstappen will therefore take grid penalties and start from the back of the grid, but we believe they can still race strongly on Sunday.”

Tanabe continues: “We gathered useful data in Spa, which we have used to make changes to PU settings and calibration in preparation for this race. We will try to maximize the potential of Spec-4 and hope to get another positive result, maintaining the momentum we gained in Spa.”