Sergio Perez will start the Formula 1 season finale from the back of the grid after Racing Point discovered an engine problem in the aftermath of his Sakhir Grand Prix victory.
Perez has taken a new engine, turbocharger and MGU-H for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and will start from the back row of the grid alongside Haas’s Kevin Magnussen, who has also exceeded his seasonal limits on power unit elements with a new energy store and control electronics.
Racing Point driver Perez claimed a shock win in Bahrain last week, charging from last with a high-mileage engine after being spun around on the first lap.
Perez had to switch to that older power unit because he had suffered a late MGU-K failure the week before in Bahrain, which robbed him of a podium finish.
The team’s routine post-race inspection after Perez’s victory identified an issue with the crankcase, though fortunately it did not manifest itself in a heartbreaking failure that would have denied Perez and Racing Point a first victory seven days after his lost podium.
That power unit has been removed from the race pool as a precaution, with new components fitted in Abu Dhabi.
“I don’t think there was a huge risk in that race. We deliberated long and hard as to what the risk would be for that powertrain to do a further race. It’s never a controlled experiment,” said Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer.
“You don’t know if had we not taken a new powertrain, if that would have lasted. But on the balance of probabilities, we thought it would be best to go with a new powertrain and take the penalty.
“For sure, it’s gonna make it harder starting towards the back. But at the same time, we saw what Checo could do last weekend – he didn’t start at the back but he was P-last at one point and came through the field to win.
“It might be a little bit more difficult overtaking here but I still think it’s possible so we’ll do the best we can with our starting position.”
Perez’s grid penalty is a setback in his fight for fourth in the championship, but he holds a 13-point advantage over Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo so is still well-placed to take best-of-the-rest honours.
However, it is a bigger blow to Racing Point, which is only 10 points clear of McLaren in the constructors’ championship.
Perez starting out of position at the back of the grid gives McLaren an improved chance of overhauling its season-long rival for third, after Perez’s victory and Lance Stroll’s third place one week ago had vaulted Racing Point ahead.
