Overview
- Red Bull fitted Max Verstappen with a fresh Honda power unit at Interlagos, adding components beyond the season allocation after a poor qualifying left him starting from the pit lane.
- Andrea Stella said McLaren wants to know if a performance-based engine change must count toward the cost cap, noting his team would avoid such swaps if they do.
- The published regulations do not explicitly define how discretionary power unit changes interact with the financial limit, relying instead on understandings between teams and the FIA.
- Red Bull principal Laurent Mekies characterized the decision as an opportunistic performance move even though the team expected to finish the season without needing an extra unit.
- Verstappen recovered to third in São Paulo, and media outlets have asked the FIA and Red Bull for formal clarification, with no public guidance issued so far.