Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg will start the Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid after their power unit changes for this weekend’s race were confirmed.
The Red Bull driver will use Renault’s new C-spec engine for this weekend’s race following a complete power unit change. Team mate Max Verstappen also has the new upgrade but has only replaced his engine and has not exceeded his minimum allocation of power unit parts changes, so does not have a penaltyNico Hulkenberg already had a 10-place grid penalty for this weekend’s race and has taken advantage of the opportunity to fit a complete new power unit at minimal cost to his starting position.
Power unit components used
| No. | Car | Engine | Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Toro Rosso | Honda | Brendon Hartley | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 27 | Renault | Renault | Nico Hulkenberg | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Toro Rosso | Honda | Pierre Gasly | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Red Bull | TAG Heuer | Daniel Ricciardo | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 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 |
| 14 | McLaren | Renault | Fernando Alonso | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Haas | Ferrari | Romain Grosjean | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | Haas | Ferrari | Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Sauber | Ferrari | Marcus Ericsson | 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 |
| 33 | Red Bull | TAG Heuer | Max Verstappen | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | Ferrari | Ferrari | Kimi Raikkonen | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
ICE: Internal Combustion Engine • TC: Turbocharger • MGU-K: Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic • MGU-H: Moto Generator Unit: Heat • ES: Energy Store • CE: Control Electronics
This article will be updated.
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frood19 (@frood19)
31st August 2018, 10:17
doesn’t this make a mockery of his 10-place penalty for causing the crash at Spa? i feel like those sorts of penalties should be carried over to a race when there aren’t other penalties.
Chaitanya
31st August 2018, 10:32
+1 looks Renault did this on purpose as they already have a 10 place penalty why not stack few more to get 1 extra PU.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
31st August 2018, 10:41
@frood19 – Agreed. If the penalty were awarded during a race, it would be a timed penalty. So I’d say that for the penalty to be meaningful, it should be converted back to a timed penalty in the race, in such a case.
socksolid (@socksolid)
31st August 2018, 10:49
Last season the penalties were cumulative but people did not like the idea of 60 spot grid penalties so fia went and made a rule that after 15 grid slot penalties they just stop counting and send the drivers to the back of the field.
Teams have been gaming on the system as far as it has existed. If a driver looks like he won’t have good qualifying the teams usually change some engine components. It is a free lunch essentially. Mclaren went so far with this that they switched almost the all engine components at some tracks to prepare for the next race where the new engine looked like it could be better for them. No point (harhar) trying to waste an engine at a power track like the british gp when you can take a 60 spot grid penalty and be fully prepared for hungary where your fresh engine and good chassis give you better chance for good finish.
Jere (@jerejj)
31st August 2018, 11:38
@socksolid No, back in 2015 was the last time when the penalties were ‘cumulative’ to be precise, not last season. The approach was then altered for how it is at present, which has been the case since the British GP of that season.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
31st August 2018, 12:36
@frood19 I think it’s a mockery that he has to start from the back in 2 races. Unfortunately the last half of the season will be a war of attrition. We’ll be lucky to see the top drivers next to each other on the grid.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
1st September 2018, 2:22
Lucky? With how powerful the top 3 teams are I wouldn’t mind to see hamilton, bottas, vettel, raikkonen, ricciardo and verstappen starting 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and scythe back through the field, trying to overtake each other when possible, eventually winning the race!
BJ (@beejis60)
31st August 2018, 17:59
@frood19 It sure does, but that what the rules state. Why not take advantage of them when you can? That’s like complaining about having to pay a low percentage tax because you own a lot of rental properties…
Panagiotis Papatheodorou (@panagiotism-papatheodorou)
31st August 2018, 10:36
At least we will have an overtaking show with Danny Ric regardless of the fight at front. I expect the Renault engine to make it tougher for him so we could have some interesting overtakes outside the DRS zones.
baasbas
31st August 2018, 14:29
A show that will consist entirely of lunges on the inside at driver who don’t really defend anyway because it will ruin their race*
*fuel save run
Esploratore (@esploratore)
1st September 2018, 2:24
Yes, not much chance to defend themselves, and in 2017 he even managed to overtake raikkonen, ferrari was pretty weak at that track, and he even got close to vettel eventually.
erikje
31st August 2018, 13:16
According to VER he still has the specB engine. Only if during free practice there is an advantage in RIC’s specC they will consider the change.
VER had some questions if the Renault specC really does what’s promised.
erikje
31st August 2018, 16:17
looking at the results of FP2 there is not much difference.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
1st September 2018, 2:25
Figure out, overpromise and underdeliver, always.