Verstappen holds a 47-point advantage over Lando Norris at the top of the world championship standings heading into the final four races of the year.

The Dutchman received two 10-second penalties after he crowded his McLaren rival off the road twice during the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.

He went on to finish sixth while Norris took the flag second to trim 10 points out of Verstappen’s title advantage.

The Brit now needs to outscore his Red Bull Racing rival by 12 points per weekend if he is to overhaul him in the championship standings.

His cause will be eased as Verstappen serves a grid penalty in Interlagos this weekend.

Writing in his regular Speedweek column, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed the looming grid drop.

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“The pace was also not right because the engine problem meant that a different engine had to be installed, which had reached the end of its life and was actually no longer planned for racing,” Marko wrote, reflecting on the Mexico City GP.

“That was one of the reasons why we were one of the slowest cars on the straights.

“When a Formula 1 engine has reached a certain number of kilometres, the loss of performance is clearly noticeable.

“We are currently investigating whether we could use the engine with the leak again.

“But here too, the number of kilometres means that it is no longer planned to be used.

“All of this means that we cannot avoid changing the engine in Brazil, with the corresponding penalty.”

Verstappen suffered a power unit problem during Friday’s running in Mexico.

He logged 14 laps in opening practice when he reported strange noises from the Honda unit, and only four in the 90-minute Free Practice 2.

The squad elected to change the power unit ahead of Free Practice 3.

Heading into the weekend, Verstappen had already used one additional internal combustion engine element and was on the limit in terms of the turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K, energy store, control electronics, and exhausts.

It’s unclear exactly which elements will be introduced this weekend and, therefore, the precise scale of the penalty. Logic would suggest an entirely new unit.

Such a move would necessitate a rear-of-grid start for Sunday’s race, though Verstappen’s Sprint starting position would be unaffected.

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix begins on Friday at 11:30 local time (01:30 AEDT Saturday).