McLaren: Vandoorne suffers grid penalty in Russia
Stoffel Vandoorne will be penalized 15 places on the starting grid for changing his Honda power unit. The Belgian has already reached the limit of changes allowed by the regulations.
The nightmare continues for Stoffel Vandoorne and McLaren. After not even being able to start the Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks ago due to engine problems, the young Belgian will be penalized on the starting grid for the race in Russia this Sunday.
The Honda engine of his McLaren acted up again at the end of the first free practice session this morning. The Belgian suddenly complained of a lack of power before returning to his garage to end his run.
A problem was immediately identified with the MGU-K of the car bearing the number 2. The team therefore decided to completely replace the engine in order to lose as little running time as possible for the second free practice session scheduled for this afternoon from 2:00 p.m.
This replacement is subject to a 15-place grid penalty because Vandoorne has already exceeded the limit of using 4 engine components per year allowed by the regulations.
