Honda engine change gives Hartley another raw deal

© XPB 

Brendon Hartley will be starting his French Grand Prix from the back of the grid, regardless of where he qualifies this afternoon, after receiving a complete new Honda power unit.

The Toro Rosso driver encountered an issue at the end of Friday's second free practice session, and was ordered to stop immediately.

Unfortunately, Honda's subsequent diagnosis led to the fitting of a new ICE, MGU-H, turbocharger, MGU-K, control electronics and energy store to his car.

The Kiwi's pervious engine misfortunes - including a failure at the last race in Canada - had already put him up to the penalty-free limit for all six components, which means his latest penalty equates to a 30-plus grid drop, or a spot on the final row of Sunday's 20-car grid.

However, Hartley will race with Honda's latest spec engine.

The Japanese manufacturer revealed that it had sent the damaged power unit immediately back to Japan for a thorough inspection.

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