Two weeks removed from his impressive win around the streets of Monaco, it is expected that Daniel Ricciardo will suffer a number of grid penalties ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Engine Issues
It is no secret that the Renault engines powering the back of Ricciardo’s Red Bull are far from the most reliable power units on the grid. Coming into this season the rules around how many different engine components could be replaced throughout the season were changed. Where previously drivers had been able to replace components up to four times before receiving a penalty, this limit was lowered to three and in some cases only two. You can read more about these current rules here.
Heading into Monaco, Ricciardo was already on the limit for the number of MGU-Ks he could use without incurring a penalty. Unfortunately this was the part which failed on his car during the race, as was confirmed by Red Bull’s chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, that the part could not be saved despite rumour Renault felt it was possible.
Long afternoon for Daniel Ricciardo
“I rather doubt it, considering it caught fire and was a burnt out, charred wreck,” he added to Reuters. “I would be somewhat surprised at that one.”
Ricciardo is one change away from the limit on engines, turbochargers and MGU-Hs, while he is already on the limit for MGU-Ks, control electronics and energy stores (all elements that can only be replaced twice). The Australian will likely be facing at least a 10 place grid penalty for replacing his MGU-K, and it seems like there may be more to come following more comments from Adrian Newey:
“We could be suffering some quite big penalties, we are only allowed two batteries etc and the system in that sense seems completely wrong.”
Changing Supplier?
Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, switched from Renault engines to Honda engines at the start of this season. If Honda make the required strides over the course of this year, it is expected that Red Bull themselves could make the same switch next season, as they are coming to the end of their current deal with Renault. Team boss Christian Horner has confirmed that they will be making their decision within the next two months.
For more like this, visit the dedicated f1 section here. Meanwhile, follow us on Facebook for news and analysis right to your timeline.