It was recently reported that Red Bull is considering and could very well take a new engine for Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia. This would’ve resulted in Verstappen receiving a grid penalty. And although he could’ve made his way up in the race, Helmut Marko has now confirmed that ‘if’ a new engine comes, it will come in Abu Dhabi.

According to F1 Insider, Marko has now put an end to speculation of a new engine for Verstappen. He said, “An engine change is not planned in Saudi Arabia at the moment.”

“If it does, it will come in Abu Dhabi.” (Translated via Google Translate)

This is a key element in determining what Red Bull is assuming the resolution of this thrilling title race to be. The team from Milton Keynes is looking at playing the long game now, and with long, it means one more race.

Marko’s comments suggest his team is no longer counting on trumping Mercedes in Jeddah. And would much rather focus on the last race at the updated Yas Marina Circuit.

Verstappen’s engine, which will be seven races old after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, speaks volumes about Red Bull’s faith in Honda. So far this season, the Austrian team hasn’t really faced many obstacles in form of reliability issues.

However, this also points out what Red Bull is expecting from the race in Jeddah.

Max Verstappen may remain second in Saudi Arabian GP

F1’s newest street circuit in Jeddah is promising to be an exciting circuit, at least track layout-wise.

This circuit has the most corners of any circuit on the calendar this year, with three DRS zones. But the catch is, most of these corners are minimal, which means they can be taken head-on with full throttle.

And as many of us have already seen in the last two races, a Mercedes driven by Lewis Hamilton on a track with more flat-out zones leaves the other drivers hopeless, including Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton comfortably winning the race in Saudi Arabia; this could very well be the story of the weekend.

And Red Bull, by putting all the chips on Abu Dhabi, is looking to maximize this current engine on a weekend where the best result for them could be a second-place finish.

Also Read: Big Boost for Red Bull as Saudi Arabia F1 Circuit Designer Offers Crucial Update