Formula 1’s pressure cooker exploded at Interlagos as McLaren fired a violent salvo at the FIA, demanding an urgent explanation forMax Verstappen’sthe last-minute engine change that propelled the Red Bull ace from pit lane purgatory to an extraordinary third place in the Brazilian Grand Prix. The November 9 showdown – already a cauldron of chaos with McLaren’s Lando Norris dominating from pole and teammate Oscar Piastri recovering from the penalty nightmare – ended in controversy when Red Bull fitted a new Honda power unit to Verstappen’s RB21, sparking whispers of cost-cap shenanigans. “This isn’t just a swap – it’s a strategic masterstroke that raises questions,” the McLaren boss saidAndrea Stellahe thundered after the race, his voice echoing the growing unease in the paddock. Now, with the “shocking” results of the FIA ​​investigation emerging – confirming that the modification breached engine allocation rules but dodging scrutiny of the cost cap – the drama has triggered a firestorm that could set Red Bull’s constructors’ defense alight and hand Norris an unassailable title lead with three races remaining.

The saga began on Saturday with qualifying hell for Red Bull, the worst since the 2006 Japanese GP: both cars – Verstappen and Sergio Perez – crashed in Q1 due to setup problems on the grooved, low-grip asphalt of Interlagos (a post-2024 flood retrofit that reduced tire contact and axle life). Verstappen, starting 20th, watched as Norris took pole for McLaren’s MCL39 while Piastri languished in fourth. Desperate for redemption in a season in which they trailed Norris by nine points entering Brazil, Red Bull hit the reset button: during parc fermé (the sealed post-quality period barring major changes without FIA consent), they tore up Verstappen’s tired powerplant – already on its sixth ICE assignment – ​​and inserted an all-new Honda RBPT ensemble, including turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K and energy tank. The problem? No prior approval from the technical delegate, in violation of article 28.2 of the sporting regulations, which limits the members to four per season to contain costs and parity. Penalties: starting from the pit lane, no grid position. But the real hassle? A puncture on lap one failed to derail Verstappen’s charge: he dug through the midfield like a scalpel, chasing down George Russell and Piastri for third place, the refreshed grunt of his RB21 shining in race trim.

McLaren’s alarm bells rang louder. Stella, the unflappable Italian architect of their manufacturers’ crown, cornered FIA brass trackside: “Powertrain changes to increase performance? This isn’t reliability, it’s a circumvention of the limit. Does this new mill count against Red Bull’s $145 million budget, or is it a loophole for an exemption?” The issue strikes at the financial heart of F1: the 2021 cost cap, tightened after Red Bull’s post-2022 breach ($1.8 million fine), exempts “reliability-oriented” trades but nails performance upgrades. Red Bull claimed the “degradation” of the old unit post-Q1 justified it, but McLaren smells like smoke, especially after Verstappen’s “otherworldly” recovery (sector times 0.4 seconds faster after the swap) evoked his 2024 Brazil masterclass from P17. “We’re all for fair fights,” added Stella, with her eyes on Norris’ nine-point lead over Piastri (Verstappen is third, 19 back). “But if this were to slip, it would distort the margins – and with Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi deciding everything, we need clarity now.”

The FIA ​​investigation – launched on Sunday amid murmurs from the paddock – dropped its “shocking” preliminary findings on Monday: the exchange violated parc fermé protocols (changes to the suspension without consent made things worse), confirming Verstappen’s fate in the pit lane, but, importantly, no cost limit breaches yet. “The engine was within reliability limits,” ruled technical delegate Jo Bauer, citing Honda telemetry on “excessive wear” due to low-speed slides in Q1. Yet the devil is in the data: Red Bull’s sixth ICE exceeds the permitted four, resulting in a 10-place drop on the grid (absorbed via pit start), but exemption from the limit depends on “non-performance” intent – ​​a gray area that the FIA ​​guidelines leave foggy. “Shocking? It’s selective,” criticized Sky’s Martin Brundle. “Red Bull ‘exploits’ these advantages: remember the 2022 flexi-wing probe?” Verstappen, ever the poker face, shrugged: “We fixed what was broken: the podium proved that it worked. Drama? This is F1.”

The paddock is polarized: Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur echoed McLaren (“Clarity or chaos: a draw is the limit”), while Perez, with a P12, defended: “Max earned it, no gifts.” Piastri, still smarting from his 10-second penalty (now eight license points, disqualification looming), joked: “The engine changes halfway through the race? I wish I’d thought about it.” For Red Bull, already runner-up in constructors (McLaren leads with 71), it is a high-level act: Christian Horner praises the “intelligent engineering”, but the violation of the cap risks fines of more than a million dollars or points deductions, echoing the Verstappen-Norris final farce of 2021. Zak Brown, McLaren CEO and supporter of the cap, launched an X-ray broadside: “FIA, it’s time for transparency – or will it be new in 2007”.

As the lights of the Las Vegas strip beckon November 22, this engine conundrum isn’t a footnote: It’s a fuse. Crowning of Norris’s eyes; Verstappen chases parity; Piastri recovers. The full FIA report will be released on Friday: claim or verdict? Brazil’s thunder has not calmed down; is electrifying the F1 endgame. Red Bull’s ‘controversial move’ has rocked the world – now, the consequences could shatter it.