Red Bull expect Charles Leclerc to face grid penalties as Ferrari battle engine issues

Verstappen and Perez move clear in in the title race with their closest rivals facing issues once more

(AFP via Getty Images)

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is expecting a boost for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in forthcoming races, due to title rival Charles Leclerc facing a likely series of penalties.

As was the case last year, going beyond the permitted number of three engines per season means drivers incur drops on the grid.

And with engine trouble forcing Leclerc out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the weekend, leaving Verstappen a clear path to victory, Marko expects those issues to mean Ferrari are playing catch-up in at least a couple of races later in 2022.

“We want a fair fight,” he said to ServusTV.

“Leclerc will now tap into a third engine and will have to change engines at least once or twice after that, with grid penalties being insurmountable.”

Even without Leclerc being sidelined partway through in Baku, though, Marko doesn’t feel that the outcome would have been any different.

While both teams made reference to Ferrari having the better single-lap speed during qualifying, the feeling was that Red Bull’s reliability would count for more across the duration of the full race, which ultimately proved to be the case.

Verstappen won, Perez joined him on the podium - over 20 seconds behind - and Marko added that he always anticipated that being the likely outcome.

“In terms of pure speed, it was unfortunate that Leclerc managed to find a slipstream behind Perez in the first few laps, so Max was unable to overtake him immediately.

“After that, however, we saw the picture we expected, namely the one in which we were really the fastest after all.”

Verstappen’s victory leaves him 21 points clear at the top of the driver standings, with teammate Perez now in second after both Ferrari drivers - Leclerc and Carlos Sainz - failed to finish in Baku.