Alonso among five drivers with grid penalties in Russia

Five drivers - Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Brendon Hartley - have been confirmed as receiving grid penalties for this weekend's Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, with engine and component changes the reason for the demotion to the back of the grid for the group.

Renault, who are the engine provider of Red Bull, announced this week they would be reverting back to their original 'B-spec' design in favour of their newer 'C-spec' power unit parts, with Verstappen reporting the change was decided because the newer design would not perform as well in high-altitude tracks in Brazil and Mexico.

Cyril Abiteboul, a chief at Renault, has disputed the claims of the Dutchman, but whatever the reasoning, both Verstappen and Ricciardo will start towards the back of the grid, with F1 bosses to decide the exact line-up on Saturday.

Honda provide parts for Toro Rosso, and have decided on the same action, albeit for a different reason. With the decision made to make the switch for this race rather than the next, Honda will avoid taking Toro Rosso down to the back of the grid due to fines in their home Grand Prix race in Japan.

The Japanese manufacturer will replace Renault as the engine supplier of Red Bull from 2019, and have been working on their power unit for next season over the past few months, with their C-Spec components impressing in bursts of speed in the Singapore GP.

Alonso, meanwhile, has had engine parts replaced on his McLaren.