Verstappen doesn't think penalty is ideal, 'but nothing is lost'

In Red Bull Racing's official press release, Verstappen is asked if he has thought much about the race. "I think you can reflect all you like but it’s important to look forward and keep pushing. I still believe it was a racing incident, but we have been given a three-place grid penalty and we just have to work with it now. The race in Monza definitely wasn’t our day for many reasons, but now I just plan to look forward to Sochi."

The grid penalty will make the race a challenge for the Dutchman. "The penalty is of course not ideal but nothing is lost, that’s how I look at it. As for the Drivers’ Championship, we still have a lot of races ahead of us and it’s a very tiny margin. We will try and make the most from the weekend and work with the package we have."

Another podium in Sochi?

Last year, the Dutchman scored the first-ever podium for the team in Sochi and with the competitive car, that might be possible again this year. "It was great to finish second there last year in Sochi especially as it has never been a good track for us as a Team. We have been more competitive this year and we have a better package at the moment so it will be interesting to see how competitive we can be there this year."

"It will be of course completely different to Monza and it looks like there might be some rain this weekend. The track itself and the layout is completely different to the previous races so I’m definitely looking forward to going back there and seeing what we can do", Verstappen said. The gap between the Dutchman and Hamilton is just five points.