Breaking news
Formula 1 Canadian GP
Gasly to start from last row in Canada after engine change
Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly will start the Canadian GP from the back of the grid after picking up a 10-place penalty for a power unit change.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Jun 10, 2018, 2:46 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Frenchman suffered an issue with his new spec engine in FP3, and with limited time to analyse it, the team went back to the old-spec engine he used in the first six races for qualifying, with which he earned 16th place.
However, after work overnight both in Canada and Japan it was decided that it would be safe to run the new spec in the race, so a complete fresh power unit – all six elements – has now been fitted.
The only one that actually triggers a penalty is the V6, which is his fourth of the year, so he gets 10 places.
Given that he was only starting 16th, and that Red Bull's home race in Austria is coming up soon, the team felt it better to take a hit here.
"We changed the engine after FP3 because Honda recognised on the data that maybe there could be something not working in the direction they expected," team boss Franz Tost told Motorsport.com.
"Then because of the short time to analyse it, it was safer to go back to the old spec. And then after analysing all the data with Sakura yesterday in the evening we decided to fit a new power unit.
"Also because Pierre suffered in qualifying because of the time he lost going to the weigh bridge, and we don't want to have a penalty in France or Austria. We decided to take it here, and then hopefully it works."
Intriguingly, the change also means that Red Bull now has a better chance of getting the data it needs on the new Honda spec to make a decision for 2019.
Had only Brendon Hartley started the race with the latest engine there was a risk that an early retirement for the Kiwi would leave Red Bull with limited information.
However, Todt denied that was a consideration when the decision was made: "No this was not part of the discussion, Red Bull was not involved. But of course, this is a valid point."
Tost said there were no plans to make other changes to the spec of the car which might trigger a pitlane start.
"As it looks currently we are back of the grid, we will not change any parts on the car."
See Also:
- Canadian GP: Starting grid in pictures
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article The changes that helped Ferrari grab pole in Canada
Next article Hartley: Honda update will give more in race
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 10, 2024
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 d
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Alpine drivers penalised post-race, Ryo Hirakawa scores on F1 debut at Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
11 d
Alpine drivers penalised post-race, Ryo Hirakawa scores on F1 debut at Mexico GP
More from
Racing Bulls
Tsolov named Red Bull, Racing Bulls reserve driver after missing out on 2027 F1 race seat
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
Tsolov named Red Bull, Racing Bulls reserve driver after missing out on 2027 F1 race seat
The impressive stats underpinning Liam Lawson's career-saving F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
The impressive stats underpinning Liam Lawson's career-saving F1 season
Latest news
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 12 min
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
45 min
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
IndyCar 2026 season review: Juncos Hollinger Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 48 min
IndyCar 2026 season review: Juncos Hollinger Racing
Indy NXT unveils 15-race 2027 schedule with four doubleheaders
Indy NXT
IndL Indy NXT 53 min
Indy NXT unveils 15-race 2027 schedule with four doubleheaders
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe