Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsRace weekend

168 places - Italian Grand Prix grid penalties explained

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A number of drivers have been hit by grid penalties ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen also receiving an in-race penalty.

The complete number of grid penalties handed out to seven different drivers totals 168, eclipsing the amount seen at Spa-Francorchamps two weeks ago. The drivers with the biggest number of penalties are Daniel Ricciardo - with 50 places due to a number of new power unit components - and team-mate Daniil Kvyat who drops 35 places for similar replacements.

Verstappen will start last on the grid having been permitted to start despite not setting a time in qualifying. The Toro Rosso driver already had a grid penalty of 20 places for power unit replacements before he was handed a further 10-place penalty as the FIA seals have been removed from his internal combustion engine [ICE] following qualifying.

Q1 saw Verstappen sent out to try and complete sector times at the end of the session, but his engine cover was not attached properly and duly broke off at Curva Grande, leaving debris all over the track. After an investigation from the stewards, Verstappen was handed a drive-through penalty which he must take within the first three laps of the race.

The Red Bull penalties see Ricciardo line-up 19th on the provisional starting grid behind team-mate Kvyat. Carlos Sainz will start from 17th place after receiving a total grid penalty of 35 places for replacement power unit components, while Fernando Alonso is currently 16th and Jenson Button 15th after receiving ten and five-place grid penalties respectively for new ICE's.

The smallest penalty was handed to Marcus Ericsson, who drops three places for blocking Nico Hulkenberg.

The FIA applies the penalties in the order in which they are earned, leaving gaps on a grid of infinite size before closing the field up. As a result of the penalties Button is 21st on the grid, Alonso 27th, Sainz 48th, Kvyat 49th and Ricciardo 65th before being moved up to 15th - 19th places respectively.

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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.