Max Verstappen will start the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the pitlane after opting to change several components on his RB21 car.
The four-time World Champion has struggled to get to grips with the handling characteristics of his Red Bull all weekend long. He qualified in a lowly sixth for the Sprint race, but managed to gain a couple of positions in the 24-lap event to finish in P4.
During the Sprint, Verstappen complained of ride quality issues behind the wheel, complaining that his car was moving around a lot on the bumpy Interlagos Circuit.
His engineers and mechanics made a few setup changes prior to Qualifying; while these improved the ride quality, grip levels deteriorated to the point that the Dutchman could only manage 16th place in Q1.
This marked the first time in his career that Verstappen was knocked out in the first part of Qualifying on pure pace, and the first time under any circumstances since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix.
What parts did they replace?
With little to lose, Red Bull opted to work on Verstappen's RB21 under parc ferme conditions to try and extract as much performance as possible prior to the main race.
It is believed that the Milton Keynes-based outfit have replaced the Honda power unit in the car, as well as bolting on the Mexico City Grand Prix floor, as supposed to the United States GP iteration that had been in use so far this weekend.
Since it is forbidden to make significant changes to cars under parc ferme conditions, Verstappen has been relegated to a pitlane start.
A win seems unlikely from the foot of the field, but if anyone can, Verstappen can. The Red Bull driver won last year's Sao Paulo Grand Prix after starting from 17th on the grid.
This year's edition will commence at 17:00 GMT (14:00 local time).
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