One-quarter of the drivers in this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix have had engine penalties confirmed as the first practice session began at the Sochi circuit.
Red Bull have fitted a new engine, turbo, MGU-H and MGU-K to each of their cars, including a complete new power unit for Max Verstappen, as they reverted to Renault’s B-spec power unit.The Toro Rosso pair also have new power units this weekend as Honda has introduced the upgrade ahead of its home race next week. Running the new unit for the first time at Sochi will mean the drivers take the associated grid penalties this weekend instead of at Suzuka.
Fernando Alonso is the fifth driver to take a new engine this weekend, and will join the other four at the back of the grid for Sunday’s race. His car was driven by Lando Norris in first practice.
The five drivers lined up at the exit of the pit lane well ahead of the start of first practice as the order in which they began the session could have a bearing on where they start the race after penalties are applied. Alonso was the first out, followed by the Red Bulls and Toro Rossos.
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Power unit components used so far
| No. | Car | Engine | Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Toro Rosso | Honda | Brendon Hartley | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Toro Rosso | Honda | Pierre Gasly | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 27 | Renault | Renault | Nico Hulkenberg | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | Red Bull | TAG Heuer | Daniel Ricciardo | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | McLaren | Renault | Fernando Alonso | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 33 | Red Bull | TAG Heuer | Max Verstappen | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 77 | Mercedes | Mercedes | Valtteri Bottas | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 55 | Renault | Renault | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | McLaren | Renault | Stoffel Vandoorne | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 9 | Sauber | Ferrari | Marcus Ericsson | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Haas | Ferrari | Romain Grosjean | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | Haas | Ferrari | Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 31 | Sauber | Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | Ferrari | Ferrari | Sebastian Vettel | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 44 | Mercedes | Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | Force India | Mercedes | Sergio Perez | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 31 | Force India | Mercedes | Esteban Ocon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | Williams | Mercedes | Lance Stroll | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 35 | Williams | Mercedes | Sergey Sitorkin | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | Ferrari | Ferrari | Kimi Raikkonen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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2018 F1 season
- F1 feared “death knell” for Drive to Survive after Ferrari and Mercedes snub
- McLaren staff told us we were “totally crazy” to take Honda engines in 2018 – Tost
- ‘It doesn’t matter if we start last’: How Red Bull’s junior team aided Honda’s leap forward
- Honda’s jet division helped F1 engineers solve power unit problem
- McLaren Racing losses rise after Honda split
JohnH (@johnrkh)
28th September 2018, 9:57
Going to be interesting seeing some of these drivers trying to get through back markers without incident.
gotit
28th September 2018, 9:58
This is just bull. What has it got to do with racein really. It should be the teams who pay not the drivers. Money has to be saved so why not engines that can be rebuit as it used to be. F1 has lossed its way and iS no longer in the real world. It may make racein slower but everyone will be on the same level as it was in past times. You used to watch races when most of the drivers could win not just 3 or 4. Drivers wanted to get passed others not just sit behind thinkin no point passin.
anon
28th September 2018, 10:23
Your rant comes across as being a bit incoherent, and feels like it’s going off about “the good old days” without understanding what was happening in either of those eras.
For a start, most of the engines will be rebuilt when they are returned to their suppliers – it’s a pretty common occurrence, unless the team are introducing mid season upgrades that means they switch out components. The idea of engines being a disposable item really only came into the sport in the 1980s, when some teams were throwing away engines after qualifying – even then, it was fairly common for engines which had been used during the races to be rebuilt and reused.
Even in the 1990s and 2000s, most engines were not actually thrown away after use, but were rebuilt and then used again – Cosworth, for example, reckoned they would reuse about 90-95% of the components from their engines.
As for the claim that “you used to watch races when most of the drivers could win not just 3 or 4”, the idea that “most of the drivers” could win is just fantasy – there has not been a single season where a majority of the drivers in the field have won a race: it has usually been a fairly small minority of drivers winning a race. We’ve had quite a few seasons in the past where it usually was just 3 or 4 drivers who won most races, so the scenario you describe is hardly now.
When exactly is this supposed mystical period of equality supposed to have occurred – in a romanticised version of your childhood dreams? you claim that the sport has “lost its way”, but I’m not sure that the way that you think it had ever existed in reality, just in an idealised version that never existed and against which nothing can ever compare, because reality can never measure up to your impossible fantasies.
@HoHum (@hohum)
29th September 2018, 1:23
@ANON, although I sympathise with @gotit point of view I entirely agree with your ripost, 1 question though, if these engines are being rebuilt why are so few engines allowed before severe penalties are applied ? Surely the costs associated with 16 crew at the track to change wheels must be greater than having a couple of engineers at the factory tear down and rebuild the ICE between races.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
28th September 2018, 9:59
I hope this upgraded Honda engine fulfils some expectations, especially expectations at Honda and Red Bull.
Joao (@johnmilk)
28th September 2018, 10:17
We know RBR will have another engine change, as they reverted for the B-Spec and will eventually fit a C-Spec again. So basically Daniel Ricciardo will have used more components than the STR guys, so decision to move to Honda already sounds like a better option than staying with Renault.
kpcart
28th September 2018, 12:45
But the c spec will be the same one they have already used so no penalty
Jere (@jerejj)
28th September 2018, 10:51
I’m expecting an overtaking-show from the RBR-drivers.
@HoHum (@hohum)
29th September 2018, 1:26
@jerejj, assuming they don’t spend the entire race battling each other.
kpcart
28th September 2018, 12:45
But the c spec will be the same one they have already used so no penalty