Verstappen to start Russian GP from back after engine change

Verstappen’s second Honda engine of the season was damaged beyond repair in his huge crash at Silverstone following contact with championship rival Lewis Hamilton.

The Dutchman moved onto his third and final power unit of 2021 at the Hungarian Grand Prix after Honda discovered a problem in the engine that was involved in his Silverstone shunt, meaning a grid penalty for exceeding power unit components was inevitable.

After initially holding off on replacing Verstappen’s engine, it was confirmed on Friday that Red Bull has switched the championship leader onto an all-new power unit, consigning him to a back-of-the-grid start at Sochi.

Verstappen, who holds a five-point lead over Hamilton in the championship, was also carrying a three-place grid penalty into the weekend for causing collision with his main title rival at the Italian Grand Prix.

As well as a new internal combustion engine (ICE), Red Bull has also installed a fresh turbocharger (TC), MGU-H, MGU-K, energy store (ES), control electronics (CE) and exhaust system (EX) on Verstappen's car. 

Verstappen will join Charles Leclerc on the back row of the grid after Ferrari introduced an engine upgrade at Sochi.