Red Bull's Helmut Marko has suggested that the team may look to put a new power unit into Max Verstappen's car for the Russian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman already hit by a penalty ahead of Sochi.

Formula 1 swaps western Europe for eastern Europe in just over a week from now as we head to Russia for the latest round of this enthralling 2021 world championship.

It's an event where Verstappen is already set to be on the backfoot, though, with him being handed a three-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix after his part in the accident he had with Lewis Hamilton at Monza last time out.

Verstappen, of course, has had other incidents this season - though not all from his doing - and that has meant that he has gone through the allocated power units he is allowed to for this season already.

Indeed, Red Bull have already said at some point they'll have to use another and incur a further grid penalty before the season is out, so the suggestion is they could double up at the Russian Grand Prix and try and get all of their sanctions out of the way in one hit.

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Certainly, Marko isn't ruling that out right now:

"That has not yet been decided.

"But I do think that you can overtake rather well in Sochi.

"Sochi has been a Mercedes track in the past, but we have been competitive everywhere this year. So if everything works together perfectly, then we can also challenge Mercedes there."

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There seems at least an oppenness to such a suggestion from Marko's perspective, at least, and we'll have to see what transpires.