McLaren F1 drivers BOTH on brink of FIA penalty at Hungarian Grand Prix

fia, mclaren, lando norris, oscar piastri — Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

McLaren F1 drivers BOTH on brink of FIA penalty at Hungarian GP

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both on the brink of a penalty this weekend in Budapest

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 1 August 2025 19:57

McLaren's stellar F1 driver duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both at risk of being handed an FIA penalty this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The papaya F1 outfit heads to the Hungaroring with a monumental lead in the constructors' standings, meaning they can afford to let their drivers race fairly for the victory this weekend, unlike last year's event in Budapest.

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The two payaya stars will need to keep their racing clean on track in Budapest to avoid any visits to the stewards this weekend, although they are both on the brink of a potential FIA penalty that could be out of their hands.

Up until the 14th round of the championship, both Norris and Piastri have used the maximum of four PU elements this season, meaning they are both just one power unit change away from a penalty.

As per Article 28.2 of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations, each driver may use no more than four engines (ICE), four motor generator units-heat (MGU-H), four turbochargers (TC), two energy stores (ES), two control electronics (CE), four motor generator units-kinetic (MGU-K) and eight of each of the four elements constituting a set of engine exhaust systems, unless a driver drives for more than one competitor.

McLaren could have another internal fight for the win on their hands at the Hungarian GP

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Should McLaren find themselves in the position where either of their drivers require a new ICE, TC, MGU-H or MGU-K, they will be handed a penalty of having to start from the pit lane for Sunday's race in Hungary.

This punishment was handed out to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian GP last time out and acts as a warning to McLaren for this weekend.

By taking on a new power unit, turbocharger, two different motor generators and an energy store along with new control electronics - Hamilton breached his season allocation on each of them.

As a result of the PU elements on his Ferrari being replaced without the approval of the FIA technical delegate, Hamilton started last weekend's race in Spa from the pit lane.

The 40-year-old delivered a miraculous recovery drive to cross the line P7, with both Norris and Piastri hoping such a drive won't be required from them from the pit lane ahead of Sunday's event in Budapest.

Below is the full table of every PU element used up until the Hungarian GP.

2025 Formula 1 Power Unit Element Usage

N°	Car	Driver	ICE	TC	MGU-H	MGU-K	ES	CE	EX
81	McLaren Mercedes	Oscar Piastri	4	4	4	4	2	2	3
04	McLaren Mercedes	Lando Norris	4	4	4	4	2	2	3
16	Ferrari	Charles Leclerc	4	4	4	4	2	2	5
44	Ferrari	Lewis Hamilton	5	5	5	5	3	3	6
01	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	Max Verstappen	3	3	3	3	2	2	5
22	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	Yuki Tsunoda	4	4	4	4	3	3	6
63	Mercedes	George Russell	4	4	4	4	2	2	3
12	Mercedes	Kimi Antonelli	5	5	5	5	2	2	3
18	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	Lance Stroll	4	4	4	4	2	2	3
14	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	Fernando Alonso	5	5	5	5	2	2	3
10	Alpine Renault	Pierre Gasly	3	3	3	4	3	3	4
43	Alpine Renault	Franco Colapinto	5	5	5	5	3	3	6
31	Haas Ferrari	Esteban Ocon	3	3	3	3	1	1	4
87	Haas Ferrari	Oliver Bearman	4	4	4	4	1	2	5
06	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	Isack Hadjar	3	3	3	3	2	2	5
30	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT	Liam Lawson	5	5	5	4	3	3	6
23	Williams Mercedes	Alexander Albon	3	3	3	3	1	1	3
55	Williams Mercedes	Carlos Sainz	4	4	4	4	2	2	3
27	Kick Sauber Ferrari	Nico Hülkenberg	3	3	3	3	1	1	3
05	Kick Sauber Ferrari	Gabriel Bortoleto	3	3	3	3	1	2	3

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

McLaren FIA Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Hungarian Grand Prix