Brendon Hartley will start his fourth race in Formula 1 with a fourth grid penalty after his Toro Rosso team replaced part of his car’s Renault power unit for Sunday’s season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old double world endurance champion and Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar winner made his F1 debut with a 25 place penalty at the United States Grand Prix in October.
Hartley was then handed a 20 place demotion in Mexico and another penalty in Brazil as the Red Bull-owned team wrestled with engine reliability, meaning that the New Zealander has yet to start a Formula 1 race from where he qualified.
Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer said in a statement on Friday that Toro Rosso had replaced the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H) in Hartley’s car, which recovers energy from the exhaust. That breach will incur a 10 place penalty.
Toro Rosso are sixth in the constructors’ championship, four points clear of Renault and a further two ahead of Haas.