With the summer shutdown behind us, we're now getting started on the final nine races of the 2017 world championship. It might be only just over halfway through the season, but most teams have got through way more than half their allowed power unit elements.
Drivers are permitted to use only four of each of the six elements that make up the power unit under current regulations. Any more than that and they start getting some painful grid penalties.
Theres a 10-place penalty the first time a fifth element is used. When any of the remaining elements is used, there's another five-place drop imposed. And the first time a sixth element is used, a 10-place grid penalty is applied.
McLaren know all about that - they're already way over their permitted quota. And the fitting of a brand new latest-specification Honda engine to the back of Stoffel Vandoorne's MCL32 means he loses a total of 35 grid places for his home race this weekend in Belgium. Ouch!
But where does everyone else currently stand? Here's the way that the power unit element usage looks heading to Spa-Francorchamps.
Mercedes still looks to have everything under control in terms of overall usage. They've been hit with penalties for gearbox changes in the past, but power unit elements are on course.
Red Bull are looking more precarious. Daniel Ricciardo has already been forced to use a fifth MGU-H. And Ferrari could quickly end up in trouble if they need any more turbochargers during 2017.
Force India and Williams are both looking solid - is it any coincidence that they share Mercedes engines? But Haas, Renault and Sauber all have weak spots. And Toro Rosso is getting close to the line as well - Daniil Kvyat has already maxed out on engine, turbocharger and MGU-H.
Will anyone other than Vandoorne tip over the edge and earn themselves penalties for Sunday's race? Watch this space...
Power Element Usage
| Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | ||||||
| Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Red Bull/TAG Heuer | ||||||
| Daniel Ricciardo | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Max Verstappen | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferrari | ||||||
| Sebastian Vettel | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kimi Räikkönen | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Force India/Mercedes | ||||||
| Sergio Pérez | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Williams/Mercedes | ||||||
| Felipe Massa | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Lance Stroll | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| McLaren/Honda | ||||||
| Fernando Alonso | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Toro Rosso/Renault | ||||||
| Daniil Kvyat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Carlos Sainz | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Haas/Ferrari | ||||||
| Romain Grosjean | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Renault | ||||||
| Nico Hülkenberg | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jolyon Palmer | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Sauber/Ferrari | ||||||
| Marcus Ericsson | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Pascal Wehrlein | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Notes:
- ICE: Internal Combustion Engine
- TC: Turbo Charger
- MGU-H: Motor Generator Unit – Heat
- MGU-K: Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic
- ES: Energy Store
- CE: Control Electronics
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