Leclerc, Verstappen, Schumacher and Bottas also penalized for gearbox change
Several drivers have changed their gearbox for this weekend and many of them have been penalized in terms of their starting grid position.
The FIA has communicated a document to the drivers who have been penalized for a gearbox change that did not comply with the regulations.
The drivers are going to change the entire gearbox compartment, including the gearbox, cassettes, auxiliary components, and also the drivetrain transmission chain.
This is the case for both Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Sainz, as well as for Ricciardo, Vettel, Bottas, and Schumacher. Red Bull has also decided to change the transmission on Verstappen’s gearbox.
The drivers penalized
By not complying with the regulations, some drivers have received penalties. Consequently, these drivers will start from the back of the grid during the Belgian Grand Prix which takes place on Sunday.
The drivers involved are Leclerc, Verstappen, Schumacher, and Bottas. The 4 drivers will use a 5th gearbox this season, while the regulations state that they must use 4.
| Drivers | Nombre de boites de vitesse déjà utilisées | |
| 1 | Leclerc | 4 |
| 2 | Verstappen | 4 |
| 3 | Ricciardo | 3 |
| 4 | Bottas | 4 |
| 5 | Vettel | 3 |
| 6 | Schumacher | 4 |
| 7 | Sainz | 3 |
« For each NASCAR event, each driver can use a maximum of these elements for the entirety of a championship season, and this maximum value for each NASCAR event will vary depending on the competition events of that championship season. Penalties will vary between the first use of an additional NASCAR event element and subsequent occurrences. »
The other drivers are not affected by these penalties and will be able to hope for a pole position on Sunday.
