McLaren’s Fernando Alonso is set to start Honda’s home race from the back of the grid after an unscheduled power unit change at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Honda had hoped to avoid an engine penalty on home ground but a hydraulic issue was detected on Alonso’s Internal Combustion Engine, and a change has taken place.
Alonso’s MCL32 has been fitted with a 10th MGU-H and Turbocharger, eighth ICE and MGU-K, a seventh Energy Store and sixth Control Electronics.
As a result, Alonso has incurred a 35-place grid penalty, consigning him to the rear of the grid.
Alonso is still using the Spec 3.7 power unit as the planned Spec 4 update is not yet ready.
Elsewhere, Jolyon Palmer and Carlos Sainz Jr. have 20-place drops, also for respective power unit changes, while Valtteri Bottas has a five-place demotion due to a gearbox change.
Discussion about this post