Both McLaren drivers will take sizeable grid penalties at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, ostensibly in a bid to boost its prospects for the remaining events in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
McLaren has been plagued by a lack of reliability and performance from Honda this season, prompting the operation to sever its partnership and link up with Renault from 2018.
Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne have substantially exceeded their allocation of power unit components this season, and will take on fresh parts in Mexico.
Alonso has taken on a new Internal Combustion Engine, MGU-H and Turbocharger, earning him a 20-place grid drop.
Vandoorne meanwhile, has the full package of ICE, MGU-H, MGU-K, TC, Energy Store and Control Electronics, bringing him a 35-place sanction.
“This isn't a strong circuit for us so it made sense to introduce new parts here for remaining races,” a Honda spokesperson confirmed to Motorsport Week.
As a result, both drivers are set to start from the back of the grid at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo is also poised for a penalty, after his engine failure at the United States Grand Prix, but this has yet to be confirmed.
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