10/10/2014
NEWS STORY
Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado both face grid penalties for this weekend's Russian Grand Prix.
The German will drop 5 places as his team changed his gearbox following last week';s Japanese Grand Prix. As the Force India driver did finish the race in Suzuka and the new gearbox was fitted before his sixth consecutive event, a breach of Article 28.6a of the 2014 Formula One Sporting Regulations, he drops 5 places.
Maldonad'o's penalty carries over from Japan when the Lotus driver dropped 10 places after becoming the second driver to be penalised under the new power unit rules. Having only qualified 17th at Suzuka he could only be moved back 5 places, therefore the remain 5-place hit carries over.
To make the Venezuelan's weekend that little bit more miserable he has been for speeding in the pitlane twice, a breach of Article 30.12 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations. Amazingly the two incidents were within two minutes of one another, on the first ocassion he was clocked at 110.8 km/h, and on the second at 92.8 km/h.
Jenson Button was also fined for two such offences, the McLaren driver clocked at 87 km/h at 10:05 and at 83.2 km/h around twenty-five minutes later.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.