The Spanish GP was supposed to be "the" race for Fernando Alonso. He won his last race here as a Spanish driver in Barcelona and this year there were some expectations for the two-time world champion. Qualifying, however, could not have been worse. He finished seventeenth.
The Spanish GP was supposed to be "the" race for Fernando Alonso. He won his last race here as a Spanish driver in Barcelona and this year there were some expectations for the two-time world champion. Qualifying, however, could not have been worse. He finished seventeenth.
A recovery action that becomes even greater because he now also gets a grid penalty. Not because of an incident on the track, but because of the replacement of the entire engine.
Alpine does this strategically, because there is not much difference between seventeenth and twentieth place. In total, the following parts will be replaced for the fourth time:
- Internal Combustion Engine (ICE
)- Turbocharger (TC)
- Motor-Heat Generator Unit (MGU-H)
- Motor-Kinetic Generator Unit (MGU-K).
According to the rules, these parts can be replaced a maximum of three times this season and therefore Alpine has exceeded this limit. In addition, Alonso will receive a new Energy Store (ES) and a new Electronic Control (EC). These parts will be replaced for the third time, where according to the rules you can replace these parts a maximum of two times.
So a big grid penalty, although in practice it is only three positions behind plan. Seventeenth place becomes a twentieth place, so Nicholas Latifi, Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll move up one place to the front.