Max Verstappen facing huge blow with F1 teams to ‘hold crunch meeting’

Max Verstappen’s F1 dominance could be under threat as Red Bull’s rivals hold talks over changing key rules. A meeting of the F1 Commission will be held at the Belgian Grand Prix with the engine equalisation to be discussed, according to Autosport.

It comes after analysis from the FIA revealed there were big differences between engine providers on the grid. It is understood that French manufacturer Alpine first raised concerns about the issue.

The team are believed to be concerned that their Renault engine is not able to compete fairly with rivals. It is estimated the engine is around 20-33hp down on other offerings which may prompt the FIA to take action.

The news could be a major disadvantage for Verstappen and Red Bull who continue to dominate F1 with their Honda powertrains. F1 bosses decide against equalisation ahead of the new 2022 engine regulations but based on history the FIA could intervene.

This would likely see Renault given an opportunity to make improvements to their engine to close the gap to the rest of the field. Engine equalisation was last used in 2007 to close up the field after some outfits opened up a major advantage.

There were discussions over whether it could be used in 2009 with the FIA’s World Motorsport Council admitting it was on the table. However, no agreement was reached and the policy has not been seen since in F1.

The news comes just weeks after Lewis Hamilton called on the FIA to take action to stop periods of dominance. The seven-time champion suggested that teams should be stopped from developing next season’s car until a certain date.

He explained: “In my 17 years of being here, even before I got here, you would see periods of dominance and it continues to happen. I was very fortunate to have one of those periods and Max is having one now.

“With the way it’s going, it will continue to happen over and over again, and I don’t think we need that in the sport.” However, Verstappen rubbished Hamilton’s suggestions and called out the Mercedes driver.

The double world champion remarked: “We didn’t talk about that when he was winning everything.”