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Max Verstappen received a 5-place grid penalty for the 2022 F1 Italian GP for changing his Internal Combustion Engine for the fifth time. He is among the six F1 drivers who have received penalties this weekend, thus joining the ranks of Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz.
Even though Verstappen will start five places behind in Monza, he is still the favorite to win the race, considering that he started outside the top 10 in his Hungarian and Belgian victories as well.
The Dutchman received a 10-place penalty at the Belgium GP for his fourth ICE change and started P14 but still managed to take the lead within just half of the race. Fans are extremely confident that Max Verstappen will win again at Monza this Sunday despite this penalty.
Fans expressed their confidence in the driver on Twitter:
Max Verstappen feeling optimistic heading to the Italian GP
Max Verstappen is yet to finish on the podium at the Italian GP. This year, he is feeling really optimistic about the same. Monza is the only track where Max has not earned a podium yet. The closest he has come to it is finishing fifth in 2018 whereas he has not even been able to complete the race the past two seasons.
He is feeling good about it this year, heading into the 2022 F1 Italian GP with four back-to-back wins. This is one of the fastest F1 tracks, and it helps that Red Bull have had a superior straight line speed all season.
Max Verstappen, when asked about his previous problems at Monza, replied:
"We've always been slow on the straights, so then it's normal when you get here that it's never going to be a good weekend, and besides that, you know, a few technical issues as well around this track and we always had to take engine penalties around here as well. So naturally, it's never going to be amazing."
He concluded:
"But now I think with straight-line speed, it can be a completely different weekend for us."
Knowing his superiority this season, with a 109 point championship lead, Max is super confident for this Italian GP, as he elaborated:
"I'm always relaxed. Even last year, you know, when the lead wasn't that big, I think we always felt good and confident. But of course, with the lead we have now, yeah it's nice and it's great, but we still want to win more races."
If Verstappen's latest form is to be believed, the penalty honestly does not make any difference at all.
