F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Red Bull hit with PENALTY after FIA confirm rules breaches

Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, FIA, Imola, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull hit with PENALTY after FIA confirm rules breaches

Red Bull hit rock bottom on race day at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Sunday 3 August 2025 12:22 Updated: 14:47

Red Bull have been hit with a major rules breach ahead of today's (Sunday) F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team in their second race under new team principal Laurent Mekies after the shock sacking of Christian Horner have endured a miserable weekend at the Hungaroring so far, with Max Verstappen qualifying a lowly eighth, while Yuki Tsunoda couldn't even make it out of Q1 down in 16th.

Given the struggling Japanese driver's grid position, Red Bull have now instead used the opportunity to change a raft of components on the car that have broken Article 28.2 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.

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Red Bull have changed the engine, the turbocharger, the motor generator unit-heat, and the motor generator unit-kinetic on the 25-year-old's car. In doing so they breached the season limit of four on each part by now using a fifth. In total the FIA have confirmed that Tsunoda is effectively taking a 40-place grid penalty.

Yuki Tsunoda has been hit with a penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix

FIA confirm Yuki Tsunoda penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Given the list of changes an FIA announcement confirmed that Tsunoda will now have to start the Budapest race from the pit-lane.

Red Bull have replaced the exhaust system as well as brake cooling configuration on the car in the hope of giving Tsunoda the best preparation he can have for the race, even if it means sacrificing grid position.

The Hungarian Grand Prix gets underway from 2pm UK time and 3pm local time, with Charles Leclerc on pole position for Ferrari.

However, runaway championship leaders McLaren are still favourites to claim victory in Hungary, with Oscar Piastri also starting on the front row, while his team-mate and nearest title rival Lando Norris lines up in second.

Verstappen, eighth on the grid doesn't have much hopes of staging a Red Bull comeback, saying after qualifying to viaplay: "Every session was challenging. It’s been like this every lap all weekend. Qualifying was no different—it was consistently poor. I experienced a lot of understeer and just had no grip. I honestly don’t know what’s going on this weekend. Nothing is working."

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