F1

Leclerc, Tsunoda, Ricciardo and Verstappen face penalties for mechanical failures in Hungary

At this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, several drivers reached the limit authorized by the regulations in terms of components. If they install a new component after a breakdown or an accident, they will be penalized by the FIA at the next Grand Prix.

Logo Mi mini
Written by By
McLaren in Hungary is still safe in the knowledge that it has fitted 3 of the 4 authorized power units to its single-seaters.
© Motors Inside - Alexis Perrin / McLaren in Hungary is still safe in the knowledge that it has fitted 3 of the 4 authorized power units to its single-seaters.

The regulation provides for a limit on the quantity of components installed per single-seater throughout the F1 season. Thus, components related to the power unit (electric and thermal engines, turbo) are limited to 4 per season. The battery can only be replaced once before a penalty (2 per season), as well as the ECU, this electronic box to manage the engine electronics.

Limits reached for the driving elements

Max Verstappen has already installed 4 elements of his power unit on his Red Bull. He has reached the allowed limit, so in the event of mechanical failure this weekend or in the coming races, he could be forced to take a penalty. Be aware that even though the driver has reached this limit, this does not mean that the previous components installed on the Red Bull are no longer usable at all. He can therefore continue to use components that were used in previous Grand Prix races.

This is also the case for Racing Bulls drivers, Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo. They both have 4 power units installed each (4 turbos, 4 electric motors, and 4 internal combustion engines). If they have to install a 5th one, they will therefore incur a penalty.

Charles Leclerc, on his side, also reached this quota, but only for the electric motor with heat energy recovery (MGU-H). He still has a few wildcards left for the other engine components.

Limits for batteries and ECU

4 drivers have only mounted one battery so far. The other 16 have all mounted their second battery and reached the limit. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Logan Sargeant, Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hülkenberg are at risk.

Usually, teams prefer to quickly assemble all the components they have available early in the season in order to assess any potential issues with a component and determine whether they will need to install one outside the quota to prepare their strategies. Indeed, if a driver receives a grid penalty due to, for example, interference on the track or another reason, the team could take advantage of this to use the penalty as an opportunity to replace components deemed unreliable.

Pilots have already exceeded the quotas.

Pierre Gasly installed a whole set of engine components in Great Britain and thus received a penalty, allowing him to use and vary the 5 engine components he now has for the rest of the season. As for Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas, they have only exceeded the quotas for the battery and ECU.

State of the technical components mounted on the F1 before the Hungarian Grand Prix

Red = Limit exceeded.

Yellow = Limit reached.

(Ex = Exhaust, limited to 6).

DriversTeamsV6TurboMGU-HMGU-kBatterieCEEX
Max VerstappenRed Bull4444226
Sergio Perez Red Bull5*4443*3*6
George RussellMercedes3333112
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes3333113
Charles Leclerc Ferrari3343224
Carlos Sainz Ferrari3333224
Oscar PiastriMcLaren3333223
Lando NorrisMcLaren3333223
Lance Stroll Aston Martin3333113
Fernando Alonso Aston Martin3333113
Esteban Ocon Alpine3333225
Pierre GaslyAlpine5*5*5*5*23*6
Alexander AlbonWilliams33333*3*3
Logan Sargeant Williams3333223
Daniel RicciardoRacing Bulls4444225
Yuki TsunodaRacing Bulls4444225
Valtteri Bottas Sauber33333*3*4
Zhou GuanyuSauber3333223
Kevin MagnussenHaas3333224
Nico HülkenbergHaas3333224

Leave a comment

You already have an account? Logged me in

Please, choose a pseudo.
VYour email address is mandatory to post a comment.
Comment awaiting. Check your email address to confirm your address.
Form is not valid.

A verification email will be sent before to publish your comment.

Subscribe

Motors Inside in numbers
- 20+ travels / season around the world (F1, WEC, Karting),
- Pro journalists and photographers,
- Quality news content since 2007,
- Feature content, inside and exclusives interviews every month.

See all the advantages

Hungarian Grand Prix

More news

Subscribe

Motors Inside in numbers
- 20+ travels / season around the world (F1, WEC, Karting),
- Pro journalists and photographers,
- Quality news content since 2007,
- Feature content, inside and exclusives interviews every month.

See all the advantages
Cancel any time, From 4€99 / month

Breaking news

Never miss any breaking news thanks to the new Motors Inside newsletter. Receive important information instantly.

A verification link will be send by email.
Please, fulfill your email address.
Top