Verstappen, Perez, Sainz join list of Monza F1 grid penalties
Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen takes a five-place grid penalty in Monza for an engine change, while Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz also take penalties.
Two weeks after taking a fully new power unit in Belgium, Red Bull has decided to add a new internal combustion engine to Verstappen's engine pool, incurring a five-place penalty for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
Monza is seen as a prime opportunity to introduce new power units and take a grid penalty as its long straights should make moving up the field much easier than at the next races in Singapore and Japan.
Therefore, Verstappen will add a fresh, fifth ICE to his pool while taking a minimal hit.
As widely expected, Verstappen's team-mate Perez has also had a fresh V6 engine installed.
As it is the first time Perez has exceeded his allowance of three ICEs, he will take a 10-place grid penalty. Perez has also taken his fourth gearbox, which is still within limits.
On Friday it was initially revealed that Ferrari driver Sainz would take a new energy store, MGU-K and gearbox, which would cost him 25 places on the grid.
Ahead of FP2 Sainz also took new control electronics, which triggered a back of the grid start for the Spaniard.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Either way Sainz will be joined at the rear by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who has also taken a fourth power unit of the season, as was announced on Thursday.
Yuki Tsunoda will start at the back of the grid as well. The AlphaTauri driver had been slapped with a 10-place grid penalty for receiving a fifth reprimand of the season in Zandvoort last week, where he was penalised for driving to the pits with his seatbelts loosened after he stopped on track.
With Tsunoda taking a penalty anyway, AlphaTauri has taken the opportunity to give him new power unit.
Tsunoda was also given a three-place grid drop for ignoring yellow flags in FP2 at Monza, plus two points on his F1 superlicence, putting him on eight and four away from an automatic one-race ban.
Finally, Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas has also turned F1's wheel of fortune and came away with a 15-place grid drop for taking a new ICE, turbocharger and MGU-H from Ferrari.
With his immediate rivals taking a grid penalty, Charles Leclerc's chances of winning his second Italian Grand Prix on Ferrari's home soil have received a boost, although the penalties for Sainz, Perez and Hamilton have afforded Verstappen an easier path to the front.
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