A tough season for McLaren has just got a little harder for them, both their drivers have been hit by engine change penalties for the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend.
This year sees Mexico return to the calendar for the first time since 1992, and a recent upgrade for Fernando Alonso’s car could’ve seen his race be a little more positive. Now both cars will be at a disadvantage for this weekend’s Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Alonso, who won back-to-back World Championships in 2005 and 2006, has already used ten internal combustion engines so far this season – that’s ten in sixteen races. The Spaniard will use another Honda power unit, in its latest spec. Alonso will also be getting a new gearbox which will see him get a penalty of a minimum fifteen place grid penalty.
British McLaren driver Jenson Button is in need of a double engine change, he will use a new spec engine for the first practice on Friday. The Briton would use one of the latest specs for the rest of the weekend – meaning Button will start at the back of the grid on Sunday.
McLaren have been hit with dozens of grid penalties throughout this struggling 2015 campaign.
At the last Mexican Grand Prix, Gerhard Berger and legend Ayrton Senna finished fifth and sixth for McLaren – a feat that seems unlikely to be repeated this year.
