Overview
- After a Q1 exit in São Paulo, Red Bull started Max Verstappen from the pit lane and fitted a fresh Honda power unit alongside setup changes.
- McLaren team principal Andrea Stella questioned whether a performance-motivated replacement should count toward Red Bull’s spending limit and asked for clarity.
- Red Bull’s Paul Monaghan said the decision was legitimate and defendable, while declining to specify how the change is treated under the financial rules.
- The Race reports the FIA has issued no formal determination and that any judgment may come when cost-cap submissions are reviewed next year.
- McLaren’s Neil Houldey underscored customer-team constraints and pointed to 2026 power-unit cost-cap rules that are expected to reduce such ambiguity.