Red Bull are preparing for Max Verstappen to receive a grid penalty for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix for an engine change, but Helmut Marko sees one positive for their driver. The Dutchman has kept his name firmly in the Formula 1 headlines in the last two rounds as Verstappen bids to deny Lando Norris the drivers’ championship. Controversial moves in the United States Grand Prix plus the Mexico City Grand Prix have hampered the Briton’s hopes.

Verstappen pulled further away from his McLaren rival in the standings when Norris drew a five-second time penalty for overtaking off the track in the US Grand Prix, despite being put off the road by the Red Bull racer. Verstappen had even forced Norris off at Turn 1 on Lap 1. Two 10-second time penalties in the Mexico City GP for Verstappen would let Norris take 10 points out of his deficit to the 27-year-old.

But the 24-year-old fell too far from Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc for Norris to possibly win owing to Verstappen’s illegal moves on Lap 10. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesHelmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen’s Sao Paulo GP engine penalty is a ‘good thing’Norris now heads to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this weekend trailing Verstappen by 47 points.

The Bristol-born racer must outscore his rival by 11. 75 points per round across the final four Grand Prix and two F1 Sprint events to win the title. Brazil and Qatar have the Sprint events.

McLaren may see this weekend’s Brazilian round as a chance for Norris to put himself in real contention with Red Bull due to change Verstappen’s engine for the Sao Paulo GP, drawing a grid penalty. He faces a five-place or more drop depending on how many parts they change. READ MORE: Five unforgettable Sao Paulo GP from Senna’s painful win to Hamilton’s titleRed Bull are primed to give Verstappen a new engine at Interlagos after struggling for speed at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

He was the second-slowest driver through the first intermediate trap at 186. 1mph to Norris at 191. 3mph.

But Marko sees one positive for him. Marko, the motorsport advisor to Red Bull GmbH, believes Verstappen taking a new engine at the Sao Paulo GP should come as a boost to his title defence as he should have increased speed. Yet the Austrian concedes Verstappen becoming a four-time champion is not certain.

“I don’t see it as easy,” Marko has told OE24. “We will need a new engine and will therefore receive an engine penalty. The good thing is that we will then have a few more horsepower and, hopefully, more speed.

It is also easy to overtake in Brazil. ”Max Verstappen has mixed memories in Brazil after yet more controversyPhoto by Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesVerstappen enjoyed his visit to Interlagos last season as the Dutchman beat Norris by 4. 287 seconds to win the 2023 Sao Paulo GP.

He seldom had to stress the RB19’s tyres to keep the Briton back, either, given the pace advantage the team from Milton Keynes had last season. It marked his second win in Sao Paulo, as well, as Verstappen won the last edition called the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2019 before increased funding from the local government brought in a new name come 2021. But, thanks to Lewis Hamilton, he also has mixed memories in Brazil.

READ MORE: The most successful F1 drivers at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and ever in BrazilContact with Hamilton in 2022 when Verstappen tried to force an overtake into Turn 2 left the Red Bull driver with a broken front wing. Backing out of the move would have stopped either car from taking damage, but that is not how Verstappen drives even if it would help. The Dutchman ultimately finished the 2022 Sao Paulo GP in sixth place.

Hamilton also beat Verstappen to win the 2021 Sao Paulo GP amid their titanic title fight as the Mercedes star charged from 10th on the grid, despite the Red Bull racer’s controversial defence at Turn 4. Like with Norris at Turn 12 on Lap 52 of the 2024 US Grand Prix, Verstappen got away with simply driving Hamilton off the road on L48. They are almost mirror incidents with the Red Bull racer easing off the brakes on the inside but running much, much deeper at Interlagos.