Fernando Alonso set for another grid penalty
SILVERSTONE -- Fernando Alonso will drop at least ten positions on Sunday's grid at the British Grand Prix after confirming he will use new power unit components this weekend.
Honda's ongoing search for power and reliability has led to a spate of engine changes on the McLarens at recent races. The Japanese manufacturer introduced its 'Spec Three' power unit on Alonso's car during Friday practice in Azerbaijan before attempting to race the upgrade on both cars in Austria. However, an MGU-H failure on Alonso's car during Friday practice at the Red Bull Ring meant he had to revert to a 'Spec Two' unit ahead of qualifying and the race.
This weekend at Silverstone the team is planning to fit a new MGU-H to Alonso's car -- which will automatically result in a ten-place penalty -- and Alonso did not rule out changing other components, which would make the penalty even bigger.
"At the moment we will put the 'Spec Three' tomorrow with the new [MGU-]H because we don't have an older one to run, so that is already a penalty," he said. "We see how it goes tomorrow and we make the decision for Saturday if we have to take the extra penalties here.
"I don't know what the other components are in terms of mileage, so it will not change too much to take a small penalty or a big one, maybe it is better to take the big one and arrive in Hungary with a little bit more safe."
Despite the penalty, Alonso said he is looking forward to driving the latest breed of Formula One car around the high-speed Silverstone circuit.
"We will be faster in the corners, slower on the straights because of the drag, so a timed lap is probably quicker but I don't know how much quicker. I'm looking forward [to it].
"I think the circuit will change a little bit, some of the corners will not be corners any more or will not be challenging, so that will change a little bit the way you drive here, the same with the braking distance as happened in Austria.
"The braking distance is shorter and shorter this year, so we arrive slower and go quicker through the corners, so everything is compressed, and here there will be corners where braking nearly disappear. Looking forward."
Source: http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/19998630/fernando-alonso-set-another-grid-penalty
Honda's ongoing search for power and reliability has led to a spate of engine changes on the McLarens at recent races. The Japanese manufacturer introduced its 'Spec Three' power unit on Alonso's car during Friday practice in Azerbaijan before attempting to race the upgrade on both cars in Austria. However, an MGU-H failure on Alonso's car during Friday practice at the Red Bull Ring meant he had to revert to a 'Spec Two' unit ahead of qualifying and the race.
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| Fernando Alonso. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) |
"At the moment we will put the 'Spec Three' tomorrow with the new [MGU-]H because we don't have an older one to run, so that is already a penalty," he said. "We see how it goes tomorrow and we make the decision for Saturday if we have to take the extra penalties here.
"I don't know what the other components are in terms of mileage, so it will not change too much to take a small penalty or a big one, maybe it is better to take the big one and arrive in Hungary with a little bit more safe."
Despite the penalty, Alonso said he is looking forward to driving the latest breed of Formula One car around the high-speed Silverstone circuit.
"We will be faster in the corners, slower on the straights because of the drag, so a timed lap is probably quicker but I don't know how much quicker. I'm looking forward [to it].
"I think the circuit will change a little bit, some of the corners will not be corners any more or will not be challenging, so that will change a little bit the way you drive here, the same with the braking distance as happened in Austria.
"The braking distance is shorter and shorter this year, so we arrive slower and go quicker through the corners, so everything is compressed, and here there will be corners where braking nearly disappear. Looking forward."
Source: http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/19998630/fernando-alonso-set-another-grid-penalty
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