McLaren’s Andrea Stella Questions Whether Red Bull’s Verstappen Engine Swap Should Count Toward Cost Cap

McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has raised questions over whether Red Bull’s engine change for Max Verstappen at the São Paulo Grand Prix should be included in the team’s 2025 cost cap calculations.

After qualifying a disappointing 16th, Red Bull opted to withdraw Verstappen’s car from parc fermé and make extensive setup and power unit changes. The Dutchman received an entirely new internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-K, MGU-H, battery, and electronic control unit, exceeding his permitted allocation.

As a result, Verstappen started the race from the pit lane, serving the penalty for using additional components but Stella believes the financial implications of such a change need clarification.

Cost Cap Complexity

Under Formula 1’s financial regulations, each team’s power unit supply cost capped at €15 million is exempt from the cost cap. However, additional components used beyond the allocation limit are not explicitly exempt, meaning they could potentially count toward a team’s overall spending limit.

Stella said he wants to understand whether Red Bull’s decision to replace Verstappen’s entire engine package, reportedly for performance reasons rather than reliability, will be reflected in their cost cap accounting.

“This kind of power unit change challenges the regulations, and I will be interested in understanding if the cost of this engine now goes in the cost cap or not,” Stella said after the race.

“If the engine was changed for performance reasons, it should go in the cost cap so let’s see if this is the case or not.

“I mean, not that I will be able to see it’s all on Red Bull’s side but this is also one reason why we wouldn’t do it, because it would end up in the cost cap.”

Performance vs. Penalty

Verstappen’s new power unit appeared to play a role in his strong recovery drive, as he made up ground quickly through the field. Several in the paddock suggested that the fresh engine gave him a traction advantage out of slower corners.

However, Stella downplayed the performance impact of fitting a new engine, noting that modern Formula 1 power units suffer minimal degradation over their lifespan.

“In terms of performance, I think introducing a new engine nowadays I don’t know how this works for Honda, but in general these engines don’t exhibit much degradation with mileage,” he explained.

“That’s why, in general, you wouldn’t change an engine and accept a penalty or a loss of positions, because normally the performance you get back doesn’t really compensate for the positional losses.”

FIA Clarification Expected

The FIA has yet to comment publicly on whether Red Bull’s additional power unit components will count toward their cost cap. The issue could prompt further scrutiny from rival teams, particularly given the FIA’s ongoing efforts to ensure transparency and fairness in cost cap enforcement.

For Stella and McLaren, the question is less about Red Bull’s on-track performance and more about maintaining consistency in financial governance a topic that has become increasingly sensitive as teams push the limits of both the sporting and financial regulations in Formula 1’s cost cap era.

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