Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc risk penalties and could return to the Belgian GP

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc could open the door for Mercedes to secure their first win of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend with reports suggesting both drivers will take penalties and start from the back of the grid.

The Dutch outlet suggests that Verstappen "will be punished" and use a new engine, his fourth of the season, which will take him beyond the allowed limit. Verstappen's new engine only has one run as it was introduced after qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, which surprised the decision.

But Red Bull thinks it would be tactical to add a fourth engine to its arsenal for the rest of the season at Spa-Francorchamps. It is also claimed that Verstappen will take a new gearbox.

Various reports suggest that Ferrari star Leclerc will start at the back of the grid as his team have reliability issues, despite having four weeks to overcome their current issues.

Luigi Fraboni, head of powertrain operations and electronics at Ferrari, warned: "Spa-Francorchamps is very demanding with the powertrain in terms of reliability. It is the longest track on the calendar and generally, the distances covered on the weekend course are among the highest.

“There are very long straights which put a strain on all the components and therefore require specific evaluation on the dyno. In terms of performance, with Monza it is the track where the power of the engine has the more effect on lap time and energy management also has a major impact on the final result, especially in qualifying."

Verstappen has an 80-point lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship and any fear of a penalty will be mitigated by his main title challenger Leclerc also starting from behind. However, the 24-year-old doesn't take his position for granted.

"I think it would be wrong to relax," Verstappen said. “So many things can still go wrong or go well. I think the intention for us is to want to win more races this season. This is how we approach the remaining races. Not only to win but we want to be consistent, we don't want to retire. We had our little problems at first, but we'll see how competitive we will be.

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"It's not allowed. It can happen when you stop running. If so, then it's also time to stop running because you don't want enough."

If Verstappen and Leclerc take penalties, Lewis Hamilton is confident he will get his first win of the season.

“We have improved this consistency since the last races and the great progress made by the team,” he said. "Everyone pulling themselves together and continuing to push, the car is more of a race car which isn't particularly what it was at the start of the year.

"It's more race car-like in its specs, which is a plus."