Verstappen to take penalties in stride if it means more power

Max Verstappen says he is willing to accept penalties this season for replacing engine parts and power units, as long as it helps Red Bull receive increased power. Both the Dutchman and Pierre Gasly are set to be given new engines ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend.

In the Chinese GP Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, who also receive their engines from Honda, had an issue with his unit. The Japanese manufacturer have opted for an early upgrade for both their customers, meaning that they will likely incur a penalty before the end of the season.

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Verstappen, however, isn’t concerned.

"Actually I'm really happy because they keep pushing really hard to bring updates and that's always good," he admitted.

"I think I showed last year than even when you start in the back you can still finish on the podium, for example like in Austin, so I don't think it a major problem.

"I'm happier if we can say at the end of the season that we really closed the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari in terms of power because we used a few more engines. It's fine."

The 21-year-old did confess that, for Baku, the focus will be on reliability first and foremost.

"It's mainly just about reliability and reliability of the engine, so I guess it will be a little bit better in terms of performance but like nothing massive,” Verstappen added.

"It can always be better. That's why they push for an even better engine concept. I'm happy that they did it because hopefully we can run that engine a little bit longer compared to the first one, which we can still use."

After the opening three races of the campaign, Verstappen is third in the driver’s championship.