Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen among F1 stars at risk of Dutch Grand Prix penalty

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen looking sad next to the FIA flag — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen among stars at risk of Dutch GP penalty

Multiple drivers are just one change away from an F1 penalty at Zandvoort

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 31 August 2025 11:43

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F1 champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are just two of the multiple drivers at risk of a penalty at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, according to the FIA.

Each driver is only allowed to make a limited number of power unit component changes across a season, with the threshold depending on the element.

For example, the Control Electronics (CE) limit is two, while a driver is allowed to have three changes to their Turbocharger, with four allocated in the 2025 season in total.

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Ahead of this weekend's race in Zandvoort, the FIA published their updated technical delegate’s report, where it was revealed how many of each power unit component each driver had used across the grid.

There were six drivers who had at least one component highlighted red, which indicated that they had already exceeded the allotted amount, meaning next time they change a component, they will incur yet another penalty.

Hamilton was amongst those drivers, and if the seven-time champion changes either his Internal Combustion Engine, Turbo Charger, Motor Generator Unit – Heat, Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic, Energy Store and Control Electronics this weekend, he will be awarded a penalty for each separate change.

With just 10 rounds to go in this year’s championship, we have now reached the point of the year that every single driver is riding a razor’s edge where the PU element penalties are concerned, with all 20 stars having already taken the maximum two CE parts.

As a result, every driver lining up on the grid at Zandvoort is on the brink of a penalty.

How are F1 engine penalties applied?

If a driver goes beyond their allocated engine parts, a grid penalty will be imposed at the first event where each additional element is used.

The first time the allocation is exceeded, a driver will be given a 10-place grid penalty, with the second time this occurs (and any time after that) resulting in a five-place grid drop.

All penalties for different parts are applied cumulatively, which explains why some drivers can accumulate a 60-place grid penalty should they make several changes at once.

These changes are usually made when a driver is starting from the back of the grid or on a circuit where overtaking is more straightforward, such as Spa, so the drop does not feel as harsh.

Alongside Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Kimi Antonelli, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso are all also at risk of serving another round of penalties should they make a specific component change at the 2025 Dutch GP.

In fact, every other driver on the grid this weekend, including Max Verstappen, is at risk of picking up a 10-place grid penalty or more if they have to take any new power unit elements, thus going over their allocation for the first time in 2025.

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