With the use of the fourth power unit, Red Bull the famous “tooth” has been removed. And the anesthesia worked: in Sochi Max Verstappen recovered up to the second position, limiting the damage against Lewis Hamilton to the maximum. But will this keep Red Bull safe from other penalties? A new break, in fact, would reduce the range of power units usable in the season finale to two. The team principal Chris Horner he does not bandage his head beforehand and is apparently quiet, but did not rule out the use of a fifth unit, considering that the number one enemy is not Mercedes as much as a zero in the standings. And then, this choice would be “encouraged” by a lighter penalty: only five positions for each replaced element, as per the Sporting Regulations (Article 23.2 b).
“Under normal circumstances, we should be able to finish the World Championship with these engines. We have three still alive, theoretically we should arrive at the end of the season. However, never say never. Surely reliability will be a key factor, and a second engine penalty would only cost us five places on the grid now.Horner said. “We will have to make the right choices at the right time, using our heads and keeping our nerve“.