20-place penalty for Romain Grosjean in Abu Dhabi
Romain Grosjean received a 20-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi race following various component changes to his power unit. Since he won't be able to fully serve his penalty, he is also expected to receive a time penalty for Sunday's race.
Romain Grosjean is expected to receive a 20-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will take place this Sunday. Indeed, the Lotus F1 team has decided to use a sixth internal combustion unit, a sixth turbo, and a sixth MGU-H.
The total penalty places for these changes amounts to 20 places, but with only 10 teams participating in Abu Dhabi – with only Marussia absent, the Frenchman will very likely see part of his penalty converted into a time penalty.
The rules state that a grid penalty of 1 to 5 places will equate to a 5-second penalty, and a penalty of 6 to 10 positions will result in a 10-second penalty. For a penalty of 11 to 20 positions, the Lotus driver would be required to serve a drive-through during the race.
Like Sebastian Vettel in Austin, it is very likely that Romain Grosjean will take part in the qualifying session, allowing him to partially reduce his penalty. However, he is expected to start from the back of the grid on Sunday and, in addition, incur a time penalty.
