Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

Alonso set for race penalty after engine change

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Fernando Alonso is set for a penalty during the Austrian Grand Prix after changing a number of engine components.

The Spaniard has a new internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger and MGU-H, all of which will be the fifth of each component to be used on his car this season. As a driver is limited to four of each part, Alonso will be hit with penalties for each change.

The first change carries a 10-place grid penalty, with each subsequent part which is replaced carrying a 5-place penalty. As a result, Alonso is set to be hit with a 20-place grid penalty after qualifying in Austria. With just 20 cars on the grid in 2015, such a penalty is impossible to take - with pole position to 20th being a drop of 19 places - so Alonso will receive a penalty in the race for any unused grid positions on the following scale:

1-5 unused grid positions = 5 second time penalty
6-10 unused grid positions = 10 second time penalty
10-20 unused grid positions = drive-through penalty

Alonso is also set to take a new MGU-K for this weekend's race, but as it will be the third new unit he has used this season, the change doesn't lead to a penalty.

Daniel Ricciardo is also set to take a fifth ICE this weekend and will be hit with a 10-place grid penalty following tomorrow's qualifying session.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.