10/06/2018
NEWS STORY
Pierre Gasly will start today's Grand Prix from the back after Honda elected to change his engine again.
Following FP3, Honda detected an issue with the Frenchman's engine, which like teammate Brendon Hartley's was the new upgraded version.
While Hartley went on to qualify twelfth, lacking the extra power Gasly could not make it through to Q2 and qualified sixteenth.
Just over three hours before today's race Honda revealed that it had decided to supply the Frenchman with a new upgraded engine with all the various components.
"Having reverted back to the older PU on Gasly’s car before qualifying, we are changing it for another unit prior to today’s race," said the manufacturer. "The team based this decision on his grid position and future PU allocation plans. Penalties mean he starts at the back of the grid."
Both drivers were delighted with the new engine on Friday, each buoyed by the extra power available.