The French team changes power units for the third time in six races and, as a result, the two-time world champion starts from last place in Spain
Alpine decided to change the engine of Fernando Alonso's A522 before the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, this Sunday (22). As a result, the two-time world champion will start from the last position on the grid, 20th. The Spaniard didn't have a good qualifying, placing only 17th in the practice session.
Alonso was punished because this will be the fourth different engine to be used in the 2022 F1 season, more than the limit of what is allowed - the regulation foresees the use of only three power units throughout the year. In only three races of the current category, Alpine had already promoted the third engine in its driver's car.
This time, Alonso will have a new internal combustion engine, turbo, MGU-H (battery responsible for generating electrical energy from the heat of the cars' exhaust), MGU-K (responsible for producing kinetic energy), a third different energy storage, new electronic controls, and the fourth - of eight allowed - different exhaust.
With this, the two-time world champion has accumulated more than 15 positions in penalties and will, of course, start last in his home race. Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, and Nicholas Latifi, therefore, jump one place on the starting grid.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is covering the Formula 1 action on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Eric Calduch and is following everythingLIVE and in REAL TIME. This Sunday, the start is scheduled for 10 AM [Brasília, GMT-3].