Alonso to start Austrian GP from pit-lane

Fernando Alonso will start the Austrian Grand Prix from the pit lane at the Red Bull Ring after McLaren changed his front wing and fitted a new MGU-K. Toro Rosso also made changes to Brendon Hartley's car on race morning, dropping him to the back of the grid.

The change of front-wing set-up broke Parc Ferme rules and meant that Alonso would be required to start from the pit lane, with McLaren likely taking the chance to fit a new MGU-K to avoid later penalties as a result.

Alonso qualified 14th on Saturday, but had been due to start a place higher thanks to Charles Leclerc's grid penalty.

The two-time world champion has not finished any of the last three races, as doubts over his long-term commitment to formula 1 continue to grow.

Hartley takes his fourth MGU-K of the 2018 season already - only three are permitted across the season - meaning he drops a place behind Marcus Ericsson, having qualified second slowest anyway.

Good Morning! We are changing all the PU components on Brendon’s car prior to the race. This is for tactical reasons, given that he qualified on the back row. There were no technical issues with the PU on Saturday! #AustrianGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/314oCsRQoM — Honda Racing F1 (@HondaRacingF1) July 1, 2018

The New Zealander's car will be fitted with an old-spec front wing after he damaged the new one during Saturday's practice session.

Alonso has previously shown an adeptness at cutting through the field throughout his F1 career, but it is Hartley who will be under the most pressure to gain ground at the Red Bull Ring.

The likes of Lando Norris and Robert Kubica have been linked with his seat as he appears unlikely to see out the season amid a string of underwhelming results, in stark contrast to an impressive start to life in F1 for team-mate Pierre Gasly, who starts 12th in Austria and has scored points in two races this year.