Stoffel Vandoorne gets Italian GP F1 engine change grid penalty
Stoffel Vandoorne will take a grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix after Honda decided to change his Formula 1 engine ahead of the race
The Belgian had looked set for his equal best start position of the year, having been eighth on the provisional grid, but problems with his McLaren's power unit had struck in Q3.
Investigations after qualifying identified a problem with the MGU-K shaft, which was costing Vandoorne performance.
Although it was theoretically possible for the team to replace the MGU-K shaft without incurring a penalty, Honda felt that there was not enough time to do so before the start of the race.
Instead, Honda has elected to fit a new 3.7 spec internal combustion engine, MGU-K, MGU-H and turbocharger - which will hand the Belgian a 25-place grid penalty.
The drop is set to leave Vandoorne starting 18th on the grid, ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso, who has had a 35-place grid penalty, and Romain Grosjean who has been allowed to start the race despite his crash in qualifying leaving him outside of the 107% cut-off.
Vandoorne is the seventh driver to suffer engine related grid penalties this weekend.
Revised Italian GP grid
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m35.554s | - |
| 2 | Lance Stroll | Williams/Mercedes | 1m37.032s | 1.478s |
| 3 | Esteban Ocon | Force India/Mercedes | 1m37.719s | 2.165s |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m37.833s | 2.279s |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m37.987s | 2.433s |
| 6 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m38.064s | 2.510s |
| 7 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m38.251s | 2.697s |
| 8 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m38.245s | 2.691s |
| 9 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1m40.489s | 4.935s |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m37.582s | 2.028s |
| 11 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m41.732s | 6.178s |
| 12 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m41.875s | 6.321s |
| 13 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Renault | 1m36.702s | 1.148s |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1m38.059s | 2.505s |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m38.526s | 2.972s |
| 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m36.841s | 1.287s |
| 17 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1m40.646s | 5.092s |
| 18 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren/Honda | 1m39.157s | 3.603s |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | 1m38.202s | 2.648s |
| 20 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | 1m43.355s | 7.801s |
Share Or Save This Story
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Jon Noble: An unfair perception or a genuine concern? Lifting the lid on Red Bull’s Tsunoda scepticism
Vandoorne set for Peugeot return in WEC 2026 replacing Vergne
Pourchaire to replace Vandoorne in Peugeot WEC Hypercar line-up
Formula E champions look back: Electric world championship turns 10
How F1's planned 60-40 power split for 2027 will affect each manufacturer
How Rally Portugal served up WRC redemption for Neuville
Hall at the British Hillclimb summit after incredibly close early rounds
Norman conquers England in Armed Forces opener at Silverstone 750MC event
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments