Red Bull opts out of Renault's latest MGU-K upgrade

Neither Daniel Ricciardo nor Max Verstappen will have access to Renault's new MGU-K for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso has also passed on the French manufacturer's latest upgrade this weekend. However, his McLaren team mate Stoffel Vandoorne has been fitted with the new part.

Renault announced on Friday that both drivers for their factory team will have a brand new MGU-K. It is the second of the season for both Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg - as well as Vandoorne - meaning that none will be hit by grid penalties.

However Verstappen is already on the last of his three permitted MGU-Ks of the season, meaning that he would be penalised if they took Renault's new component this weekend.

“It’s available for all the cars that want it,” Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com earlier this week. “It happens that not all teams have elected to go to the new spec.

"They will continue to use the MGU-K of a previous technical definition, with a higher reliability risk."

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Hulkenberg has already said that he's not expecting "a huge deal" from the new MGU-K and said it was just one piece of the puzzle.

Sainz and Hulkenberg also take a new energy store this weekend, as do Alonso and Vandorne. Sainz additionally takes on a new turbocharger, and Alonso benefits from a new electronics control unit.

All are within the driver's permitted quota for the season. However, they put the drivers close to the brink, with little room to spare for the rest of the campaign.

Power Element Usage

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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