Skip to content

Daniil Kvyat to become first driver to take ten-place grid drop for sixth engine

Renault-powered Toro Rosso go over penalty-free limit at Monza

Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat has become the first driver to fall foul of 2014’s engine penalty regulations after the team fitted a sixth Renault unit at Monza overnight, triggering an automatic ten-place grid penalty for this weekend

The Russian rookie was one four drivers heading into the Italian GP who had reached their individual limit of five penalty-free engines for the season, the others being fellow Renault-powered runners Sebastian Vettel and Pastor Maldonado along with Ferrari-powered Jules Bianchi.

Under the new-for-2014 regulations that have been introduced following F1’s winter switch to turbo engines, drivers may use no more than five of each of the six key elements that make up the power unit without sanction, including the internal combustion engine itself.

When a driver first reaches a sixth element in any one of the categories, as is the case for Kvyat, a ten-place grid penalty is applied, while a five-place drop is then applied if a sixth one of the remaining elements is used.

Kvyat therefore will drop ten places from where he qualifies in Saturday’s session at Monza, making it likely the 20-year-old will start the race towards the back of the grid given Toro Rosso have invariably qualified in the midfield this season.

Unlike grid penalties for driving infringements, however, should the full ten places not be able to be applied then Kvyat will lose the remaining positions at the next race in Singapore.

World Champion Sebastian Vettel had also appeared in danger of a similar fate in Italy but Renault confirmed on Friday that they had managed to fix the engine that had caused problems for the Red Bull driver in Spa practice.

More from Italian Gp 2014

Mercedes' title-challenging drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have each run four engines so far this year, with the pair's tallies even across all six power unit elements used.

F1's power unit penalty regulations explained

A power unit comprises:

ICE - Internal Combustion Engine
TC - Turbo Charger
MGU-K Motor Generator Unit - Kinetic
MGU-H Motor Generator Unit - Heat
ES - Energy Store
CE - Control Electronics

- Each driver may use no more than five power units per season.

- Each driver may therefore use no more than five of the above six elements (in any combination).

- If more than five power units are used then penalties are applied as follows:

- Replacement of a complete power unit means the driver must start the race from the pit lane.

- The first time a sixth element is used, the driver gets a ten-place grid penalty.

- The first time a sixth of the remaining elements is used, the driver gets a five-place grid penalty.

- The first time a seventh element is used, the driver gets a ten-place grid penalty.

- The first time a seventh of the remaining elements is used, the driver gets a five-place grid penalty, and so on.

Around Sky