Hulkenberg hit with grid penalty following gearbox change

Renault's Nico Hulkenberg will be demoted five spots on tomorrow's Azerbaijan GP starting grid after his team was forced to replace the gearbox on his R.S.18.

The end of the German driver's FP3 session was disrupted by a mechanical issue that Renault traced to Hulkenberg's gearbox, the team deciding to replace the component before this afternoon's qualifying session.

The problem will put an end to the P7 qualifying streak Hulk has enjoyed in his last six Grands Prix.

• Ferrari's Vettel bounces back to the top in FP3!

Yesterday, the Renault driver was deprived of track time in FP2 as the French outfit replaced the R.S.18's floor, but brake issues also impacted his session.

"In FP2 I generally wasn't happy with how they felt or how they performed but that can happen sometimes," he said.

"They were also used brakes, which probably explains the biggest part of it."

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