McLaren star at risk of F1 penalty at Italian Grand Prix

Lando Norris may have a fight on his hands at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, before even entering the track.

The McLaren star was pushing hard to catch his team-mate at the Dutch Grand Prix last Sunday when his power unit failed, putting him out of the race and potentially damaging his hopes for Monza.

In F1, teams must adhere to a strict quota for engine components each season, a rule designed to help control costs.

Exceeding this limit means facing grid penalties. Each car is allowed four internal combustion engines, four turbos, four MGU-H systems, and four MGU-K systems.

Moreover, teams can only use two batteries (energy stores) and two sets of control electronics, while the exhaust system is limited to eight per season.

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Norris on edge after engine explosion

During the Dutch Grand Prix, Norris aimed to ease the damage to his championship bid by finishing second behind teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri.

However, an oil leak eight laps from the end forced him to retire when his engine abruptly shut down. According to team boss Andrea Stella, the issue wasn’t with Mercedes, but appeared to be caused by a malfunction in a McLaren component.

Before this incident, Norris had already maxed out all his engine components except for the exhaust system. Now, with McLaren’s investigation confirming irreparable damage to several parts, the team faces a tough decision.

They can either stick with an old power unit—which is far from ideal at Monza, the fastest circuit on the calendar—or opt for a new power unit and accept the resulting grid penalty.

Exceeding the limit with one extra component incurs a 10-place grid penalty. For every additional component replaced beyond the allowed count, another five positions are added to the penalty.

Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell are also at the limit for their internal combustion engines, turbos, MGU-H, MGU-K, batteries, and control electronics.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli have each already exceeded the limit once. Max Verstappen stands out among top-team drivers, having used only three sets of internal combustion engines, turbos, MGU-H, and MGU-K, though he, too, has reached the limit on batteries and control electronics.

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