Italian Grand Prix – Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will handed grid penalties for power unit component changes.
The entire power unit is divided into six elements; the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), the Turbocharger, the Energy Store, the Control Electronics, the Motor Generator Unit – Heat (MGU-H) and the Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic (MGU-K).
A driver can use four of each element across the course of a season. If any more are required, grid penalties are applied.
For the first time any fifth element is used by the team, a ten-place grid penalty is applied. For every other fifth element used, a five-place grid penalty is applied. The same rules apply for the first time a sixth element is used, the first time a seventh element is used, and so on.
Red Bull’s Ricciardo will take a fifth ICE, a fifth turbocharger, a sixth MGU-H and an additional gearbox penalty, resulting in a 25-place drop, whilst team-mate Verstappen will take a fifth ICE and MGU-H, giving him a 15-place grid penalty.
McLaren have often used circuits which don’t suit the car to take penalties for gaining power unit elements. Here, they’ve opted to use a seventh ICE, a ninth MGU-H, a seventh MGU-K, a ninth turbocharger, a sixth energy store and a fifth control electronics. He receives a 35-place grid penalty.
Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz, however, will only take a ten-place hit for using a fifth MGU-H on his Renault power unit.
