F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Perez and Zhou hit with grid drops after engine changes

Red Bull and Alfa Romeo have opted to introduce fresh engines in Austin for Sergio Perez and Zhou Guanyu that will set both drivers back by five spots on Sunday's US Grand Prix grid.

Both drivers were the recipient of a fifth internal combustion engine (ICE) this season.

The changes won't help Perez' chances of fending off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the Drivers' standings, with the pair battling for the runner-up spot behind freshly crowned F1 world champion Max Verstappen.

But it also won't strengthen Red Bull's chances of clinching the Constructors' title, although the Milton Keynes-based outfit still hold a nearly unbeatable lead of 165 points over Ferrari.

The Mexican is current one point ahead of his Ferrari rival with four races to go this season.

Zhou's allocation of fresh power will hopefully boost Alfa Romeo's chances of returning among the top-ten, a position the Swiss outfit has enjoyed only once in the last nine races.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Norris gets a pole-position welcome at old primary school

Fresh from pre-season testing and with a world title now stitched onto his racing overalls,…

2 hours ago

Two on the trot for Laffite and Ligier in Brazil

On this day in 1979, Jacques Laffite won the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos as…

2 hours ago

Russell hungry for ‘head-to-head’ title clash with Verstappen

George Russell is not hiding his appetite for a showdown this season in F1. In…

4 hours ago

Vowles confident Williams won’t start F1 season ‘on the back foot’

Williams may have missed the first public glimpse of Formula 1’s bold new era, but…

5 hours ago

Mercedes Allison’s big takeaway from F1’s Barcelona test

Mercedes technical director James Allison arrived in Barcelona last week bracing for chaos – and…

6 hours ago

Verstappen rules out F1 management role after retirement

Max Verstappen has made one thing crystal clear about life after Formula 1: don’t expect…

23 hours ago