Reconstruction at Red Bull
Verstappen starts from the pit lane
November 9, 2025 – 2:54 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Saturday was disappointing for Formula 1 star Max Verstappen. His team has made changes to the car.
Max Verstappen will not start the São Paulo Grand Prix from the usual grid. The Red Bull driver starts the race from the pit lane – a result of extensive changes to his car after the disappointing qualifying.
On Saturday, Verstappen only achieved 16th place in qualifying. Red Bull responded to this with several interventions on the RB21. According to media reports, it received a modified underbody and an adapted setup. The entire drive unit was also replaced. According to reports, the changes to the drive were made primarily with a view to the last races of the season.
Such measures are not permitted under parc fermé conditions, which is why a start from the pit lane is mandatory. The penalty is considered manageable in the team environment, after all Verstappen could only have started the race from the bottom of the midfield anyway.
Saturday wasn’t ideal for Verstappen from a World Cup perspective either. His title rivals in the McLaren showed strong performances: Lando Norris secured pole position, Oscar Piastri started from fourth place. Verstappen is currently 39 points behind Norris in the standings, Piastri is nine points behind his teammate. After the race weekend in São Paulo, there are still three Grands Prix on the program: Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.