Italian GP: Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez handed grid penalties, Lewis Hamilton to start at the back

Italian GP (Image source: Twitter)

The 2022 Formula 1 Driver Championship leader Max Verstappen will take a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming race at Monza. The penalty issued by the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA) is for Verstappen’s change of internal combustion engine (ICE). Notably, this is Verstappen’s fifth ICE of which only three were allowed. The fourth engine change at last month’s Belgian GP got him a 10-place grid penalty and the punishment has been lighter for the second offence.

Red Bull’s number two driver, Sergio Perez has also decided to go with a changed ICE, his fourth of the season and hence has been punished with 10 place grid penalty.

Yes, I mean we have elected to take this penalty here on the advice of our engine partner, and five places here is not draconian, so to have that extra engine added into our pool for the remaining seven races, we just thought strategically it’s the right thing to do, “said Christian Horner of Red Bull.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas has received a 15-place penalty for taking new parts ahead of the Italian GP. Mercedes had already confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will start from the back of the grid after taking new parts. Hamilton had to go for new parts as he suffered massive damage to his car following a race-ending crash with Fernando Alonso at the Belgian GP last month.

Believe the penalties are:

Verstappen - 5 places

Perez - 10 places

Bottas - 15 places

Sainz - 15 + 10 places

Hamilton - Back of grid

Tsunoda - Back of grid#F1 #ItalianGP

— Phillip Horton (@PHortonF1) September 9, 2022

Carlos Sainz will also start at the end of the grid following a change of parts ahead of the Italian GP. Yuki Tsunoda of Alpha Tauri will also be starting at the back of the grid at the Dutch GP on 4th September.

Currently, Max Verstappen of Red Bull leads the Driver’s standing with 310 points. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari who led in the initial stages but has since then dropped down to second with 201 points. Sergio Perez is third with 201 points as well. Seven-time champion Sir Lewis Hamilton lingers at sixth with 158 points having won none of the races so far.