Jenson Button will drop five-places on the Japanese Grand Prix grid after McLaren confirmed the 2009 champion will require a new gearbox for the event.
The Woking outfit discovered an issue with Button’s gearbox during a post-race inspection following the Singapore GP. The issue is identical to that of Lewis Hamilton’s, which forced him to retire from the lead of the race.
Both drivers will therefore get new gearboxes, though because Hamilton’s failed during the race, he will not get a grid penalty.
McLaren are confident the issue which has hit both cars has now been resolved and won’t strike again.
