United States GP: Vettel and Räikkönen penalized 10 places on the grid
Following an engine change on both Ferrari cars, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen will have to serve a 10-place grid penalty for the United States Grand Prix this Sunday.
Ferrari has chosen the United States Grand Prix to introduce a new version of its power unit on the cars of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.
The two drivers having already used four engines since the beginning of the season, this change will therefore result in them dropping back 10 places on the starting grid this Sunday.
A long-standing plan according to Vettel: « We will have a 10-place penalty for an engine change this weekend, but this has always been the plan. It’s not a big secret and not a surprise for us. It has always been our goal to have the best engine at key moments of the season. »
For a team still competing for the World Drivers’ Championship, this decision might seem strange. But the slim chance that Vettel could catch up and then overtake Lewis Hamilton in the championship seems to have been abandoned by Ferrari.
The German has not yet given up on his title chances: « If you just look at the situation regarding this race, it may not be good news. But we have to consider the entire project for the whole season. And it has always been the goal to have a new engine from this moment until the end of the season. Of course, we take the hit here, but we must keep our eyes focused on the positives that this change can bring us, beyond the penalty this weekend. »
