Jenson Button, McLaren, Red Bull Ring, 2015

McLaren’s grid penalties to cost them 50 places

2015 Austrian Grand PrixPosted on | Author Keith Collantine

Jenson Button, McLaren, Red Bull Ring, 2015Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso will be penalised a total of 50 places on the grid for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Each driver will be docked 25 positions as the team replaces a raft of power unit components on their cars.

Button will take his fifth engine and MGU-K and his sixth turbocharger and MGU-H, for which he will receive three five-place penalties and one ten-place penalty.

A 20 place grid penalty for Alonso was announced yesterday. However he has now also replaced his gearbox and, as it has not been used for six consecutive races as required under the rules, he will be penalised a further five places on the grid. That brings the team’s total up to 50.

As each driver is now being penalised more places than there are cars on the grid, it is inevitable they will have to serve further places during the race. If either has more than 20 places of their penalties left to serve after the grid has been decided, they will have to serve a ten-second stop-and-go penalty after the race begins.

The stewards also confirmed Daniil Kvyat will receive a ten-place grid penalty for using his fifth new engine this year. Team mate Daniel Ricciardo already has the same penalty.

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