Both Verstappen and Checo Pérez had a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday at the Hungaroring, with Russell taking his first F1 pole position.
Sergio Pérez was unable to progress to Q2 after being hampered by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas F1 Team on his final fastest lap and will start eleventh in the race.
Max Verstappen did make it to Q3, but his chances of fighting for pole were dashed when he first made a mistake and then suffered an unexpected loss of power on his final run in Q3, dropping him to tenth.
With the change made to the F1 regulations ahead of the British Grand Prix allowing teams to fit new engines, even of a different specification, during parc fermé conditions after qualifying, Red Bull Racing has chosen to take advantage of the opportunity to fit both cars with their last permitted power units of the season.
As this is still within its original allowed number, both Verstappen and Perez can run the new power units without penalty.
However, it is likely that at some point in the second half of the season they will have to use another engine, which would incur a grid penalty.
Sister team AlphaTauri, who had a disappointing qualifying session with both cars crashing in Q1, have also changed the engine on Pierre Gasly’s car after he finished 19th on the grid.
As he is already out of his assignment in several components, that means the Frenchman is penalized on the grid.
However, as the changes were made without the approval of the FIA Technical Delegate, because they were for tactical reasons and not for reliability, he will not start last, but must start from the pitlane.
